Sweet Melissa
by Fenrir's Daughter
Summary: After his sister is attacked by an antimutant mob, Monkey brings her to the Acceledrome to protect her. But was it a mistake? AU, mutants are among us. COMPLETE.
1. Fraternal Instincts

A/N: This probably won't make any sense to any of you, but oh well. No like, no read. Me no own, you no sue. Roll it.

* * *

Monkey walked through the halls of the Acceledrome, humming to himself. It was an overcast, gloomy afternoon in July, but he didn't let the weather get him down. All he did was act natural, like he always did, and stroll casually into the control room. 

The control room was a large, open space located on the catwalk above the garage, and Lani Tam could almost always be found there. Monkey admittedly fancied her, but didn't have the courage to make a move, so the Maniac mechanic settled for worshipping her from afar.

In any case, today the control room was not serving its usual function. Today, the large screen that was filled with research and models of the Teku's and Metal Maniacs' cars was being used as a normal TV. Gathered around the screen were Shirako, Nolo, Vert, Karma, Taro and Lani, and for some odd reason they were watching CNN.

Monkey raised an eyebrow and approached the other racers.

"Hey, guys, what are ya—"

"Shhh"

He shut up and gazed at the screen, listening. Wolf Blitzer was reporting on an incident that had occurred just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, the night before.

"—one of whom is stable condition. If you're just tuning in, folks, last night in a park in a suburb of Phoenix, an angry mob chased down and savagely attacked five teenage mutant girls, leaving only one survivor. Sixteen year-old Melissa McClurg was hospitalized last night for severe external and internal injuries. McClurg and four other girls were discovered as mutants, and then pursued by a large group of townspeople. The other four girls were beaten and burned, leaving McClurg as the sole survivor. Several of the arrested assailants have been identified as members of Friends Of Humanity, an anti-mutant hate group—"

Monkey could feel his heart catch in his chest. But maybe it wasn't her...

A of the girl picture appeared onscreen; she was fair skinned with hazel eyes and curly orange red hair that fell past her shoulders, with a long slender face.

Mel.

Taro furrowed his brow for a moment.

"Hey, Monkey, aren't you from Phoenix?" he asked, receiving no answer. "Monkey?"

He looked about him; Monkey was nowhere to be found, and they heard an engine starting up. Karma and Shirako ran to the railing on the edge of the catwalk just in time to see Tork cussing up a blue streak as Monkey sped off in Hollowback, Rollin' Thunder having been recently destroyed. They ran down to the garage, wondering what was going on.

"Ahh, my dose," the Metal Maniac whined, covering his bleeding nose and shaking a fist at the now empty entrance of the Acceledrome. "What the hell is his problem?"

Taro sidled up. "What happened?"

"I don't know, man; Monkey just ran up and said 'gimme your keys'. I wouldn't, so he punched me." He paused, whimpering slightly as he held his face in his hands. "Damn, but I didn't know he could hit like that. It's like running into a brick wall! Whaddaya think he's up to?"

Taro's answer was concise, as always. He never said more than needed to be said. "We were watching the news. A few girls got killed in Phoenix. Mutant girls. Hey, does Monkey have a sister?"

"Yeah, her name's Melissa or somethin'. Why?"

The Asian Maniac put his hand on his forehead. "They mentioned a Melissa McClurg. She's the only one who lived."

Tork winced, though whether it was in pain or sympathy was unclear.

* * *

Monkey pushed Hollowback to its limits down the side streets of a small town, doing his best to avoid any and all other drivers. If he was going to make it to Phoenix before sundown he had to get there fast, and the way he was driving the cops would be all over him if he went down main streets or highways. 

He didn't know what he was so worried about. A superhuman rate of regeneration ran in their family; she'd be fine in a few hours…physically. But it was still an incredibly traumatizing experience.

He cringed, all the while keeping up his frantic pace. There were only about a hundred miles to go, and then he was home.

The world was not a very friendly place for mutants right now, and boy, did Monkey know it. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he bitterly recalled when his powers had first emerged.

What happened barely registered with him at first; his mother was a mutant, and she had always told him it was a distinct possibility that he'd be one too. Monkey, in fact decended from a long line of what were referred to as feral mutants. It was only later that the full meaning of this struck him.

Fifteen year old Mitch McClurg had been kidnapped by a shadow organization called HYDRA, for something called Project Weapon X. He was still unclear on some of the details, but he knew they'd wanted to make him an assassin because of his powers. Monkey could regenerate at incredible rates, making him virtually immortal, and he also had enhanced senses, which were prized for tracking down targets. At the lab the operatives had taken him to he was put into a tank and forced to endure painful procedures that ended with him having his skeleton completely coated in a nearly indestructible metal called adamantium, and which also gave young Monkey eleven inch retractable claws. They'd tried to brainwash him afterwards, but a bunch of what had turned out to be X-Men showed up and rescued him.

That day wasn't all bad, Monkey supposed; he'd gotten to fly in a big jet, and Professor Xavier had even offered him a spot at the school! Monkey and Mrs. McClurg had declined, opting instead to pack up and move. HYDRA was out of business; SHIELD had made sure of that. So many stupid acronyms…

But what if all this national coverage brought Melissa to some unsavory character's attention?

His fraternal instincts taking over, Monkey knew he couldn't let Melissa go through something so terrifying. He absolutely refused to abandone her in her time of need. And so, he sped on, making his way to the bright suburb he had made his home not so long ago.

"Westin Hills," he stated, giving a forced and somewhat sickening laugh. "Mama, I'm coming home."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know; I said it would be an X-MEN:Evolution crossover, but I decided on a general Marvel-verse thing instead. Basically, this is an AU fic in which mutants and the X-Men exist in the AcceleRacers universe. Also, those of you who have read my Christmas fic, Let it Snow .:cough:shameless plug:cough:. might recognize the name Melissa. Oh, how Monkey enjoyed making cookies with her and their Mommy! And Westin Hills is not really a suburb of Phoenix, but a fictional mental institution outside of Freddy Krueger's hometown. R&R, all my love, FD. 


	2. Poor Sweet Baby

A/N: So here's the second chapter. Feel free to ask questions!

* * *

It would have taken most people a good six hours to drive from the seemingly abandoned part of the desert to the Arizona suburb. Monkey made it in under four.

His drove by his mother's house to see if they were home, praying there weren't any reporters camped out in the yard. There weren't. He sighed.

"Next stop, Hell's Pass."

When they first moved there from Jersey City, Monkey and his sister had been plagued by stories about a scary nurse that was unkind to kids; rumors circulated that this woman killed children for attention. Nothing had ever been proven, but the kids in Westin Hills to that very day did their best to keep from hurting themselves for fear of being murdered by a crazy nurse. It was an urban legend of course, but the parents still used it as a cautionary tale. A bogeyman of sorts.

That's how the hospital ended up with the nickname 'Hell's Pass'.

When he got there, Monkey didn't even bother checking in at the front desk. The Maniac mechanic sniffed the air and followed his nose up to his sister's room, just in time to see her pack up the last of her stuff. She looked up at him.

"Hey Mitch."

Her voice was hollow, as if she didn't really feel anything. He put his arms around her and their mother walked in.

"Oh, Mel, I'm so sorry..."

"Mitchell?"

"Ma!"

Monkey hugged his mother hello. "I wish this could have been under better circumstances…Oh, I shoulda been here! I'm so sorry!"

Mel shrugged, looking not at her brother but past him. "What's happened has happened, Mitch; it can't _un_happen. That's just the way it goes…"

She trailed off, sitting down on her hospital bed, not paying any attention to her surroundings. Monkey looked at her, concerned, than led his mother out the door.

"Ma, what's going on?" he whispered.

"They say she's dissociating, like she's seen more than she should have and can't deal with it."

"Oh God…"

"I don't know what we're going to do, son. Melissa's…in a dark place right now, but she's a tough cookie. I'm sure she'll be alright."

"But what if," he faltered, not sure if he was making sense, "what if _they_ find her because of the news story?"

For the first time in over a year, Monkey got a good look at his mother. Shannon McClurg was a relatively tall woman with deep red hair and green eyes, which were now looking at the floor. She knew who he meant by 'they'.

"We'll move again. I used to be with SHIELD, remember? I'm used to evading the enemy."

"But they'll be looking for a mother and daughter. They won't be looking for a brother and sister, though…" He looked her in the eyes, his expression completely serious. "Ma…let me take Mel with me for a while. I'll take real good care of her, I promise!"

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "This isn't a stray puppy we're talking about, Mitchell! This is your sister!"

"Oh come one Ma! It's summertime, it's not like she has school or anything!"

"But how do you know she'll be safe with you?" Shannon stared into her son's eyes. What she said cut like a knife, but he knew she was just worried. Monkey sighed.

"I haven't exactly been…in town for a while, ok? I've been staying somewhere with my friends and— look, I can't give you all the details…"

"I know you're a racer, Mitch. I worry sometimes, y'know? So, I had an old friend check on you. I know all about the Teku and Metal Maniacs, and this Dr. Tezla-"

"How do you know?"

"Tezla was an operative. That's all I can say."

He nodded; Monkey had learned long ago that in their family some things were better left unsaid. "So…can I take her?"

Shannon sighed, nodding. "If you're sure."

They smiled at each other for a moment, and then something occurred to Monkey. "Who'd ya have check in on me, anyway?"

His mother shrugged. "Mystique owed me a favor."

And with that, Monkey turned away and entered Mel's room again. He spoke softly.

"Hey, Mel, I'm gonna take you somewhere safe, ok?"

* * *

It was late; almost eleven. Porkchop had heard third-hand why Monkey might have left, and he knew it was true. All this time, the lanky red head had confided in Porkchop that he was in fact a mutant, begging for him to keep it a secret. Needless to say the trucker had been thrown for a loop, but he'd kept quiet all the same. He understood why Monkey would want to keep something like that secret. Just look at what had happened to Melissa…

Porkchop stared at the Acceledrome's entrance, never saying a word, and Wylde scoffed.

"C'mon, man, you really think that weasel'll be back?"

The roar of an engine and a Good Charlotte song blasting on a car stereo answered him. Hollowback and Riot Girl; what a strange combination…Taro called to Tork and he entered the garage just as Monkey parked his leader's car. He slammed the driver's side door and went around to get a bag from the trunk. Wylde and a couple of wandering Teku in the garage stared as the passenger side opened and a young girl stepped out. Karma whispered to Shirako, and he went to get Dr. Tezla.

Melissa's hair was tied back in a high ponytail, two stray strawberry-blonde ringlets framing her melancholy face. The far away look in her eyes was a far cry from the smiling teen they'd seen on the news; she gazed not at them, but past them. She wore a tight red Ramones t-shirt, red high top Converse All-Stars, black jeans and a worn out blue denim jacket covered in patches, pins, and permanent marker.

Dr. Tezla walked to the edge of the catwalk, enraged. Monkey called to his friends, but only Porkchop seemed happy to see him and they high-fived.

"Good ta see ya, Monkey Man."

Tork glared at the Maniac mechanic, arms crossed, and Monkey noticed the small bandaid on the bridge of his boss' nose. He handed over the keys to Hollowback sheepishly.

"Sorry"

Tork shook his head and smiled. "S'aight. Just don't do it again; I wanna stay pretty." The rest of the Maniacs laughed. Dr. Tezla called out furiously from above them.

"What do you think you're _doing?_ You can't bring outsiders here!"

The others looked from one to another, not sure about what kind of conflict was coming.

"Doc," he said with a sigh, "you of all people should know what I'm going through here. I've heard you whimpering in your sleep, I've seen the numbers branded on your arm. The world is a cold and lonely place for our kind right now; I'm just trying to protect someone I care about."

Tezla's shoulders began to tremble, and his voice cracked. "She can stay."

"…Are you crying?"

"NO!"

He walked away as fast as he could, his bio-suit making an unnatural swishing noise.

Melissa grabbed her duffle from right under Monkey's nose, walking off through the garage towards the Metal Maniac's wing. He called after her, but she cut him off.

"It's the –"

"Super senses, bro; I'll find it."

She waved without looking back, her footsteps echoing throughout the Acceledrome.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so…Mel's angsty, but it's a temporary thing. As for what's going on with Tezla, it should be obvious to anyone who's ever paid attention in history class EVER that he was in a concentration camp. I know he doesn't seem _that_ old, but let's say that he was just a child when he endured that painful experience. Also, thank you Kara Tezla for reviewing the first chapter. I'll keep writing if people keep reading! 


	3. Riot Girl

A/N: I've basically decided that this fic will take place in the timeframe of the movies, just with the added characters of Melissa and Shannon McClurg and the concept of people having mutant super-powers and the hostility and racism they are consequently met with. (Ooo, big words.) So, yeah, right here we're between "Ignition" and "The Speed of Silence", right around the Cliffside Realm. I haven't seen that one in a while, so let me know if I make a mistake. Plus, y'know what? This is MY story! If dialogue changes, it's my business if I like it better like this!

* * *

Over the next few days, Melissa did her best to earn her keep, doing dishes and the like and staying out of everybody's way. She, however, tended not to show much emotion at all. Then again, who could blame her?

After all this, the Metal Maniacs had pretty much accepted her as a member, though she wasn't a racer like them and didn't even have a car. Mel still helped out where she could, and her brother was one of them, so as far as Tork was concerned, _she_ was one of them. Taro wasn't so sure about it, and even looked at Monkey with a new found sense of dread, but he trusted Tork. Porkchop, of course, had no problem with it at all and acted as a second older brother to her, taking her under his wing to learn basic mechanic skills as he had done with Monkey years before.

Wylde, on the other hand, had never encountered mutants before and all you really heard about on the news as of late was 'the mutant menace'. But they couldn't all be bad, right? Sure, he'd lived in New York City, and Spider-Man, DareDevil, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four and even Captain America all lived around there, but he still opted to tiptoe around the younger McClurg sibling, trying not to upset her. Or Monkey for that matter; he was probably tougher…

The alarm sounded, signaling that another realm was about to open. Tezla's voice came over the loud speaker and called the racers to arms. Nolo was left behind, as was Wylde, much to his dismay.

He grumbled to himself as he prepared to work on Spine Buster's replacement. Just what he needed: to be left alone with an emotionally disturbed girl with super powers.

Lani asked Nolo to help her with some boxes that needed to be brought to the lab. Mel offered to help instead.

"No that's okay!" she answered a little too quickly. The older Asian girl gave an anxious smile. "Really, Nolo doesn't mind at all."

Mel forced herself to smile back, then headed in the opposite direction.

Nolo and Lani made their way to the control room, making small talk. She slipped on her earpiece to communicate with the drivers. Gig floated up to them.

"Dr. Tezla must still be in the lab," he said to them and then spoke over his communicator. "Dr. Tezla, are you there?" There was no reply and after a moment he told Lani and Nolo "There's something wrong with the security camera in the lab."

Back in the garage, Wylde was once again muttering to himself about not being able to race against his brother and working on his new car when he heard a metallic groan. Looking up, he saw a car being lowered onto the concrete floor and realized the driver was a drone.

In the hallway, Mel heard the same noise thanks to her enhanced senses and came running. When she got to the garage, Wylde was already trying to stop it. She broke into a run, calling up every reserve. The entire time the only thing flashing through her mind were the faces of her Father and best friends, who she had been helpless to protect. As powerful as she was, she couldn't save them, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let Wylde get hurt.

Mel let out a feral roar, grabbing the door frame of the car and digging in her heels. Wylde was clinging to the roof of the car, staring at her in awe. Her eyes were a fierce orange with slits for pupils.

"Tuck and roll!" she commanded, and he did. Wylde braced himself for impact and hit the floor with a yelp, scraping his arm and forehead as he rolled over the concrete. Lying there in pain, he could hear metal straining and a screeching of brakes, and a cold mechanical imitation of a scream.

Shaking it off, Wylde propped himself up on his elbows, scared stiff, and turned his head in Mel's direction. The car, engine still running, was torn to shreds, deep claw marks decorating its side and the driver's side door that she'd torn off of its hinges. The door itself lay in a crumpled heap next to Dr. Tezla's leg supports, which were, oddly enough, in tact. Mel stomped ominously towards what was left of the drone as it futilely attempted to get away. She growled in savage satisfaction, curling her lips in a ferocious smile as she ripped its arms from their sockets, holding down its torso with her foot. Suddenly, her ears twitched; she sniffed the air and a wave of panic washed over Wylde as she turned to him, and he realized that he'd been hyperventilating.

She rushed towards him, and Wylde winced, backpedaling until he was up against the wall. He wasn't hyperventilating anymore; as a matter of fact, he couldn't breathe at all. He stared at her, petrified, and time seemed to slow down. The only sound was the blood pounding in his own ears; his only thoughts were of so many things left undone in his own life. Mel's voice was but a far away echo as he gazed into her eyes, which were hazel again. Her lips moved, but he didn't hear what she was saying.

Wylde was vaguely aware that his sunglasses had fallen off as it dawned upon him that Mel looked sad and scared. She was on the verge of tears, holding his uninjured arm tenderly. Snapping his eyes shut and shaking his head, Wylde brought himself back to reality.

"—orry! How many fingers am I holding up?! Please don't be angry! Oh my God, your arm! We have to get you to the med lab NOW!"

He managed to speak to her in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Really, I'm fine. Calm down. Everything's okay—"

"No it's not okay! The extra car's wrecked, there's nothing left of the drone to study, you're hurt, and it's ALL MY FAULT!!"

Mel's eyes flashed orange for a second, and then she began to cry into Wylde's chest. He blushed, stroking her back with his good arm to comfort her. "C'mon, it's just a scratch! And you're a Maniac now, so ya gotta be tough."

Her tears slowed, and she absently nuzzled his neck, holding onto him. "Okay. Let's go get you cleaned up."

He smiled and agreed, and was pleasantly surprised to find that despite her size, Mel was more than strong enough to hold him up draped across her shoulders and Tezla's leg suppports. Truth be told, she could have carried him to the infirmary bridal style, but she decided to spare him the embarrassment.

When the racers made it back they found Mel sweeping up the wreckage in the garage, bobbing along to a ME First and the Gimme Gimmes retro cover of "Over the Rainbow" blasting from the speakers of Wylde's nearly finished car. Kurt and the others looked on in horror at the clawed up remains of the other car and the drone. Kurt demanded to know what had occurred. Mel nervously shuffled her feet, unsure how to answer, when Wylde walked in, bandages on his non-tattooed arm. A bruise was already forming around the small cut on his forehead.

"I'll tell ya what happened! Mel saved my life!" he turned to her. "Go ahead and tell 'em, Mel!"

The Teku gazed upon her, surprised, and Monkey smiled warmly. He was very proud.

Mel grinned sheepishly. "The drone Gig reactivated tried to get away, so I had to bust it up…" She and Wylde explained in full detail the events that had taken place while they were out. Tork respected her, Taro trusted her, and she had now truly gained her rightful place in the family.

As for Wylde, he wasn't afraid anymore, and he looked at Mel much differently than he had previously. She wasn't just Monkey's sister. Now, she was a warrior and a Metal Maniac; she didn't know it yet, but she was his Sweet Melissa.

* * *

A/N: Heheh! I guess I'll be keeping the title after all! Thanks to Kara Tezla and KawaiiYamato! All comments are welcome, including flames. I'm tough! I can take it! R&R! 


	4. Bleeding Hearts

A/N: You'll notice the angst level has taken a nose dive here.

* * *

The brush burns were beginning to fade, and the scratch on Wylde's forehead was practically gone. Wylde was very thankful to Mel for saving him, and, though he wouldn't admit it yet, had become somewhat infatuated with her. Seeing her fight was arguably the most awesome thing he'd ever seen; she was like a warrior princess. Upon seeing his minor wounds, of course, Kurt had predictably declared Mel a menace to society.

Leaning under the hood of his car for just a moment, Wylde was left unaware of a true menace lurking in the shadows.

Nolo crept out into the Metal Maniacs' area of the garage, wrench in hand; no way was he going to let a Maniac win. If they couldn't race, then, logically, they couldn't win, so he set out to do something dirty and underhanded, sinking to what he thought was their level: Nolo was going to sabotage the Metal Maniacs' cars. Just as he was about to do some damage to Hollowback, Karma hissed at him.

"What are you doing?! Nolo this isn't you!" she said, grabbing his arm.

"But they—"

"I don't wanna hear it, Nolo!" He couldn't help but smile a little; Karma always acted like everyone's mother. This Kodak moment was interrupted when Tork Maddox discovered them. He glared down with a Cheshire grin.

"Fancy meetin' you here, Pasaro."

Off in a corner, Mel's eyes flicked up, and for a moment she was hit with a wave of panic. She'd been feeling a little closer to her usual self lately, but she still couldn't handle conflict. She held her breath and silently watched over her boys.

Caught, Nolo turned to go. Suddenly he let out a frustrated yell, swinging the wrench towards the windshield of Monkey's new car. Mel turned away, waiting for the crash, but there was only a strange squealing sound and a series of light clatters. Her eyes opened and she, as well as Tork, Wylde and Karma, were shocked to see the sliced remains of the wrench on the concrete floor, barely six inches of the handle remaining in Nolo's hand.

Monkey growled, the long metal claws stemming from his right fist not even an inch from Nolo's frightened face. The Latino racer stared up at him as Monkey's lips pulled into a sneer, revealing a long set of fangs. Nolo trembled, and his voice cracked with nervous laughter.

"I—I'll just be going then, heheh…"

The Teku leader broke into a run, and Karma followed him. Monkey held his head high and crossed his arms, his claws retracting with a loud SNIKKT, and he suddenly looked disappointed.

"Aww, he made me spill my slushy…"

"Remind me to stay on his good side," Wylde murmured, pale.

After a while Tork found his voice. "How the hell did he get here so fast?"

Mel smirked outwardly, unable to hold in the laugh. She put away the parts Tezla had had her stock the area with, humming 99 Red Balloons and bobbing her head, the young mutant's curly hair bouncing along.

The alarm sounded, and Monkey sighed, coming back to the garage as his name was called out over the loudspeaker. Minutes later, he and five others entered the Metro Realm, leaving Mel alone with Wylde in the garage.

After the display between Nolo and Monkey, Wylde wondered if perhaps he should rethink his vow to be with Mel, but he shook it off. Monkey was pretty rational most of the time, and he shouldn't have anything to worry about from him, right?

As he watched her, the Maniac caught his new obsession's eye, and he realized with great embarrassment that he'd been staring at her. He looked away, clamoring for something to keep his hands busy. Mel smirked and approached him.

"Hey Wylde."

The older boy jumped and knocked his head on the hood of his car. "Um, hi!" he said, getting out from under the hood.

She smiled. "Look, I've seen you looking at me, and, really, it's okay, but you do know I'm only sixteen, right?"

Wylde's heart sank. "You are?"

"Yeah", she answered matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry. I do like you, but I don't think Mitch would be very happy about it. Now that you all know he's a…a mutant, he doesn't really have a problem using his powers cuz he's not hiding anymore. You saw that, right?"

Wylde recalled the three long blades popping out of Monkey's hand like claws, and grew even more depressed. "Yeah, I saw."

Mel looked into his eyes and felt like a total bitch, causing him so much pain. "I'm not saying that us being together would be _impossible_, I'm just saying it wouldn't be very smart."

He nodded, too wrapped up in his own melancholy to truly listen.

"Hey, you need any help working on your car?"

"I don't really feel like it right now."

Mel scrambled for something to cheer him up for a while.

"Well, I brought a couple dvd's with me when Mitch brought me," she said hopefully. "You wanna watch a movie?"

Wylde barely paid attention to what he himself was saying at this point. "Whaddaya got?"

"You like the Friday the 13th films?"

This got his interest; Wylde loved scary movies, especially the way girls tended to cling to the nearest guy during the nasty bits. Maybe there was hope after all! "Yeah! Alright, sounds good."

She smiled at him again. "Great." Oh, what a smile.

They watched it in the Metal Maniacs common room; Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (which, oddly enough, was only the fourth movie and not the last). They were about twenty minutes in when it started to get bloody, and Wylde's hopes were dashed thus far. He and Mel sat on the couch, captivated with the gore and not very shocked. It was made in the eighties and, though far from tame by today's standards, pretty cheesy. Refusing to give up, Wylde decided that anger was better than no attention at all. He made his move.

"Quit hogging the popcorn," he said snatching the bowl. She smacked his arm playfully.

"Jerk."

Wylde stuck his tongue out childishly and Mel laughed, leaning into him. Her laughter was cut abruptly short by a blood curdling scream from the TV. She leaned closer to him, clutching his shirt in surprise. Not quite as shocked as Mel, Wylde held onto her anyway. After a minute or two of just holding on like this, they glanced at each other, Mel blushing darkly.

'_What am I doing? This is crazy!'_

She inched away, muttering an apology. Wylde looked at her longingly; it was now or never.

"Mel," he started, "What you said earlier is true, but I don't care. If the way I feel about you is wrong, then I don't want to be right."

Mel had a funny feeling about what was going to happen next; her heart rate went through the roof and something told her she should either run or beat him to a pulp, but she brushed it off and assumed this strong 'fight or flight' urge was just from the movie.

He pulled her closer.

'_Oh God'_

His right arm left her waist.

'_I shouldn't—'_

He held her chin up gently with his right hand.

'_Pull away! Hit him! Do something, just don't—'_

He spoke to her, softly, smiling. "I understand we just met last week, and I know you said it was a dumb thing, but I never was very bright."

'_Aw, screw it.'_

Well, that had worked beautifully. Mel kissed him first, her arms snaking around his neck, pulling him down to her. And so they sat there, forgetting their movie, all tangled up in each other, until Tork, Taro and Monkey returned from the Metro realm.

And as predicted, Monkey was not at all pleased.

* * *

A/N: DUN DUN **DUN!!!** Oh, big brother is watching them! I know I skipped the Water Realm, and I'm sorry but…yeah, ok, I'm just lazy. Bad, BAD FD! So, it's all cause and effect her: since everyone knows Monkey is a mutant, he isn't afraid to use his powers in front of them anymore and stops Nolo from wrecking his windshield, so he doesn't have to take Spine Buster into the Realm, and it doesn't get wrecked. Monkey's new Rollin' Thunder does. Since Spine Buster isn't wrecked, Wylde's not mad at Tork! And since Nolo made Monkey spill his slushy, there's no mortifying incident in which Monkey really really really has to use the bathroom. 


	5. Big Brother is Watching You

A/N: This chapter originally featured Shirako bursting into tears at the sight of Monkey's apparent death. I have decided to change this, and have re-edited the chapter. The real purpose for the re-edit was to make this kid friendly for the Accelepedia, so the swearing might have changed around a little bit.

* * *

The Metro Realm had been a long, strange trip indeed; Tork had ended up saving Nolo's life, ‎and Nolo returned the fate in sho

The Metro Realm had been a long, strange trip indeed; Tork had ended up saving Nolo's life, and Nolo returned the fate in short order. Now, instead of blind rage sparking between them, there was nothing but an awkward silence whenever their eyes met. Nolo wasn't sure what to think anymore.

If anyone was really confused, though, it was Taro. He could have sworn that Kurt had beaten him through the portal, but upon searching the eldest Teku, no Accelecharger was to be found. Was Kurt up to his old tricks? Taro wasn't sure whether or not to mention Kurt's past dealings with the drones to the other Metal Maniacs, but he was sure Wylde would rant and rave about it for hours once he learned about the latest incident. As he thought about this, the former Scorcher absently followed Monkey and Tork back to the Maniac common room. Catching snippets of their conversation, he remembered that both of their cars had been destroyed by a drone sweeper, and his mind shifted back from Japanese to English so he could listen.

"That's the second one!" Monkey sighed. "It's just my luck. I guess I'll have to move on to Rat-ified next."

"Man, Hollow Back was like a daughter to me; I've had her since high school!"

Monkey chuckled at his leader's affection for his car, and the common room doors opened with their typical Star Wars whoosh.

Taro cooed mockingly. Tork snickered, then cleared his throat and looked away when Monkey let out a low growl. There, on the couch, Wylde and Mel had their arms wrapped around each other, too caught up in the moment to even notice the intrusion.

So Monkey _made_ them notice.

"SON OF A BITCH WYLDE!!" he bellowed, his angry yell accompanied by a clean SNIKKT.

Wylde jumped up, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand as Mel struggled to explain, but it was too late; Monkey lusted for blood and almost nothing could stop him now. Mel held her brother back as Wylde made it out the door, and Tork and Taro helped her try to calm him down.

"Cool your jets, Monkey!" Tork exclaimed, trying like hell to keep hold of him. Taro uttered a stream of obscenities in Japanese. "He's a Metal Maniac, one of us! We're welded, remember?!"

Monkey took a deep breath, relaxing, and retracted his claws. The boys let go of him, and his sister took a step back. Suddenly, he popped his claws back out and dashed, crying out.

"I'm gonna fucking _KILL_ HIM!"

* * *

Wylde ran for his life, smacking into his brother and Shirako when he came through the kitchen. The Wylde brothers got off the floor, Kurt glaring at his younger sibling.

"Markie," he said, coldly.

Wylde shook off the collision, scrambling for the door. "I don't have time for this!" he said to no one in particular, then stopped and yelped. Monkey was standing in his path. Wylde pressed the 'close' button on the control panel and ran across the room, but it was no good.

"Markie, what's going on?"

Kurt got his answer soon enough; six blades sliced through the door in an X pattern, then around in a circle, and Monkey kicked it in.

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, WYLDE!!"

"Oh snap," said Shirako.

Wylde was frozen in place by fear, Monkey growling threateningly, and Kurt staring on in horror. Just as the Maniac mechanic began to advance on him, however, both of the Wyldes were stunned to see him drop like a sack of hammers.

Mel stood in the doorway holding a length of tailpipe with which she had just knocked out her brother, and in spite of the severity of the situation, Kurt couldn't help but laugh. She strode quickly over to them, kissing Wylde on the cheek.

"You get your brother out of here; I'll try to talk some sense into mine."

"But—"

"Grrrrr…"

Monkey started to get off the floor, and Wylde quit protesting, dragging Kurt out to the garage. Shirako ran after them.

"Ohmanohmanohman, he's gonna kill me," was all Wylde could manage to say.

Kurt spoke urgently. "We gotta get outta here." Only one problem: Battle Spec and Spine Buster were one seaters…

"Take my car," Shirako said and tossed Kurt the key.

"Right!"

The Wylde brothers slammed the doors after themselves climbing into Bassline, and Kurt started the car. Unfortunately, Mel had only been able to keep her brother busy for a minute, and Monkey soon came bounding down the corridor on the second floor, finally reaching the catwalk. Kurt backed up to turn around, stopped, and Monkey jumped the railing of the catwalk, landing perfectly on his feet a good twenty five feet below, right in front of Bassline.

"Pull over," he growled menacingly.

Kurt panicked and floored it, running Monkey completely over and heading out into the desert's early morning sun. Wylde slumped back in his seat, breathing heavily, and stared straight ahead.

"Jesus, Kurt, you ran him over."

"Yeah," he squeaked. "I know."

What were they going to do?

* * *

Shirako gaped in wretched horror at the sight that lay on the garage floor before him. Monkey, broken and bleeding, had ceased to move. He was a Metal Maniac, a sworn enemy of the Teku, but he didn't deserve to die in such a manner. No one did; it was so undignified, so…_messy._ All that _blood_ streaking across the cement, his stripped muscles showing in places where the tire had peeled off his skin; it was more than the Teku mechanic could bear.

"Oh God," he said, and sprinted for a nearby garbage can, where he promptly began to vomit. When he was finished, he stood uneasily on his feet, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, and trying not to look at the road waffle that had once been Monkey McClurg. Mel entered the garage, followed by Tork and Taro.

The two older Maniacs gasped at the sight, shocked at the mangled body and blood on the concrete floor, but Mel only winced momentarily. She put a comforting hand on Shirako's shoulder.

"Relax," she said, "he'll be fine."

"Fine? FINE?! He's _dead_, Mel! Your brother is DEAD!"

"No, he's not; see? He's getting up right now."

They looked back at him reluctantly and saw Monkey cracking his neck. He stood, staggering, and shook his head to regain his senses. Before their very eyes, his wounds were healing, though his own blood still covered his body and drenched his ragged shirt, marked with tire tracks.

"Man, I hate it when that happens," he whined, exhausted.

"What _are_ you?!" Taro spat out, twitching.

"Taro, buddy, we covered this already. I'm a mutant, always have been. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get something to eat or I'm gonna pass out."

Monkey staggered past the group holding his head and trekked up the stairs to the kitchen. They stared after him, and Tork made a mental note to show Monkey a little more respect.

* * *

A/N: Wheeeeee re-editing. Shirako is no longer a crybaby, as requested by notforgotten. I finally got around to it, BB! Happy now?! Whatevs.


	6. Title Subject to Change

A/N: I think I screwed up the time frame here. Whatever.

* * *

Vert groggily followed Nolo to the kitchen, yawning, and glared daggers at his leader; Nolo was smiling and loudly whistling a merry tune. 

"Do you have to be such a morning person?"

"Si," he said brightly, "I've always been an early riser."

Vert groaned in irritation. As they entered the kitchen, both stopped dead in their tracks and stared at the bloodstained form of Monkey McClurg sitting at the counter, sipping hot cocoa. Nolo nearly fainted, and if Vert wasn't awake before, he sure was now.

"Dios mio," Nolo muttered, clutching the doorframe for support.

"Jebus H Christmas, Monkey! What happened to you?"

"Kurt ran me over," he said plainly, taking a bite of his ham and cheese omelet. "I totally get it, though; he was just trying to protect his little brother. But both of them are dead ducks when I see them next."

He paused, sipping his cocoa. "Caught Wylde makin' out with Mel."

"Oh, now, that's a little drastic," Vert said. "I really don't think—"

"How would you feel if an ex-con was taking advantage of your underage sister?"

He seemed to growl the words, and, remembering the previous night's events, Nolo hid behind Vert.

"She's only sixteen, Vert…and Wylde's a dead man."

Monkey washed his dishes and picked up the pieces of the door he'd shredded earlier. Nolo was still trembling when he left. Vert shuddered.

"I do not envy Wylde…"

Nolo only stared at the empty doorway, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

"Aww, jeez," Vert said, slapping his forehead, "Don't tell me widdle Nowito is afwaid of da big bad Monkey!"

Nolo blushed. "I am not afwaid! Afraid. Whatever."

Vert continued to tease the Latino racer as he retrieved bacon from the fridge, and Nolo could take it no longer.

"You can make your own damn breakfast, white boy."

The surf rat pouted and apologized, and Nolo sneered.

* * *

As soon as he thought they were far enough away, Kurt pulled over, taking the key out of the ignition, and slumped back in his seat, his head hanging low. 

"I don't expect you to help me with this, Markie; not after everything that I've put you through… We'll find somewhere safe for you to hang out, and then I'll go on the run…"

"Kurt?" Wylde asked uneasily. "Kurt, what's up?"

His shoulders began to shake. "I killed him," he sobbed. "I fucking killed him! I'm a murderer, Markie!"

Kurt practically threw himself at his brother, holding him tight and crying. Markie put an arm around him.

"Hey, man, it was self defense," he assured him; "Him or us. It was out of your control."

Kurt could only weep on, softly whimpering, "murderer…"

Wylde's mind was racing; he'd been a fool to mess with Mel! He knew she wanted him, too, but that didn't make it right. Maybe she had been right; maybe she was too young for him… And now Monkey was…. And Kurt was freaking out because he blamed himself. It had only happened because he'd been trying to protect Wylde, who had barely given him the time of day except to yell at him and dump all his problems on.

When had his real life gotten so much like fiction?

* * *

"Ohmigod, KARMA! I just say the most fucking amazing thing in the history of forever!! Monkey was all, like, chasing Wylde, and he an' Kurt got in my car to escape, but Monkey tried to catch them, and guess what happened!!!" 

Karma sighed; why did Shirako have to have so much sugar in his coffee? He was nearly impossible to comprehend with his over excited valley girl speak, and he always seemed to swear more when he got riled up. "What happened?"

"Kurt ran him over!" he exclaimed. "Right the fuck over, I mean _really_ pancaked him, totally ran him over! But Monkey's, like, totally without a scratch! It was soooo cool, I mean, like, I totally thought he was dead but he's, like, really okay!"

Karma stared at him, then shook her head. "You've been watching too many cartoons," she said, and walked away.

* * *

"That really didn't go well," Taro said, plopping down on the couch where they had caught Mel with Wylde a mere hour before. 

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Mel said. She sighed; "Man, there's gotta be something we can do, or say to him. Monkey's usually such a reasonable guy…"

"He was pissed," Tork said; "I don't know if we can stop him."

"I know I'd have trouble forgiving someone who ran me over," Taro said, and he shuddered. "But then again, I wouldn't have survived. I wonder what it's like having that kind of strength?"

Tork sunk back, deep in thought.

"It's alright," Mel said, "but honestly I think I'd prefer being able to do something with fire."

"Or shapeshifting!" Taro said excitedly. "Oh, it would be so cool being able to turn into any animal of my choosing!"

Tork sat up straight. "Pork Chop! He knows Monkey better than any of us! He'll know what to do!"

Tork bounded off to the infirmary where Pork Chop was resting after he broke his leg; the Mississippi native had a fear of water, and had left the Water Realm via EDR. Unfortunately, the big cushion that now constantly sat beside the portal had not yet been placed there, so Pork Chop had slammed into the wall at a good sixty miles per hour and busted his leg.

But more importantly, Pork Chop had been Monkey's first friend upon his arrival in LA. He'd taken the young man under his wing, helping him to improve his mechanical and racing skills, and sharing many a sausage and mushroom pizza from Dino's Bar & Grill. Pork Chop was the only the third person outside of his family and government agents who knew Monkey was a mutant! The two were nearly inseparable, like Lil and Phil; Batman and Robin; Shaggy and Scooby! If anyone knew how to calm Monkey down, it was Pork Chop.

Tork told him everything that had taken place; Wylde and Mel's tryst, the chase, Monkey's accident and recovery, and listened for Pork Chop's sage advice. Having heard the entire story, the red headed southerner thought.

"This is bad," he said in his raspy voice. "Monkey's a pretty peaceful guy, but if he feels threatened, or if he thinks you're endangerin' someone he cares about, he'll get downright vicious. There's nothin' that can stop him once he gets goin'. The only thing we can do is keep him from gettin' set off again."

"That's what I was thinking," Tork said from the chair next to Pork Chop's 'hospital' bed. "But even when he's calm, talking like in a normal conversation, he sounds really pissed and I don't know how to reason with him."

Pork Chop gave a sly grin. "As long as I known 'im, Monkey-man's always been a sucker for Asian girls…"

Tork's eyes widened in realization: "Lani!"

* * *

"No way! I don't want anything to do with that mutie psycho!" 

"Aw, c'mon, Lani!" Tork pleaded. "If we don't do something Wylde and Kurt are dog meat!"

The beautiful Korean American leered at him. "So why don't you talk to him?"

"We tried, he won't listen to us."

"So why would he listen to me?"

"He's completely over the moon for you, _duh_. If you told him to shoot himself in the foot, he'd probably do it!"

"Just my luck, the crazy one likes me! What am I saying? They're _all_ Maniacs!"

Tork was really starting to lose his patience; the things he did for his teammates. 'Okay, deep breath, Maddox, hitting girls is wrong…'

"Look, Lani," he said in as pleasant a voice as he could manage. "Kurt and Wylde are in danger. If we don't help Monkey through this, he _will_ kill them—"

"I don't know…."

"And you'll have to live with the knowledge that you could have stopped it."

* * *

A/N: For Wylde's sake, _both of them_, you better hope Lani will go along with it! But who knew she was so prejudiced? I'm really trying to bang out these chapters as fast as I can so I don't lose inspiration; I've already got an idea for the sequel, and I think it's pretty innovative. If enough people ask I might give you a hint next time. I definitely screwed up the timeline, but I can fix it and here's how: A car not seen in the movies, but listed as a concept car, Power Bomb, shall be Tork's new main ride. Check out the Accelepedia website, and tell 'em FD sent ya! I promise there'll be more Kurt and Wylde in the next chapter! 


	7. Bring it on Home

A/N: Here we go! Lots more Kurt and Markie, as promised, and I just had to put that scene in here. Things might change later, but it'll still basically be the same story.

* * *

Tork's words bit her like a rattlesnake, and Lani wasn't sure what to do. It was obvious what she _should_ do, but to mess with his feelings like that… She didn't really like Monkey as a person, and she had never trusted mutants, but what could she do?

"Fine, I'll do it," she said, "but I won't like it."

"Jeez, Lani, I'm not asking you to kiss him or anything! Just talk to him! Trust me, he'll listen."

What was she getting herself into?

* * *

"I'm telling you, he's fine!" she insisted over Shirako's PDA. Mel understood it was hard for someone who'd never seen her family's powers to believe, but this was ridiculous! "What happened back there was nothing, okay? He's been _shot at_, for Christ's sake! We've got an uncle who can re-grow entire _limbs_."

At that moment, Kurt and Wylde were about twenty miles away in the middle of the desert, sitting in Bassline and staring incredulously at the screen of the laptop Shirako himself had integrated into the car's system.

"So…he's not dead?" Kurt asked cautiously. "I didn't kill him?"

"Have you been listening at _all_? No, no, a thousand times no! Monkey is alive and well."

"Oh thank God," Kurt sighed and sunk back in the driver's seat. Wylde exhaled, but he hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath.

"He's pissed as a bastard, but besides that, he's just fine."

Oh crap.

"Okay, I know that look. Don't worry about it, guys; we'll talk to him, and everything'll be alright. This'll all just blow over, you'll see. Just, um, I don't know, go to lunch or something in the meantime, and we'll call with the all clear."

"Can I have my wrist back yet?"

"Hush, Shirako," she hissed at him. Back in the car, Kurt smiled softly, and gave a quick worried glance to his brother.

"Thanks again for letting us borrow Bassline, Shi-kun," he said. "We'll bring her back safe and sound."

Shirako tugged his wrist out of Mel's grip, but not without great effort. In the background they could hear Mel giggle, questioning Kurt's nickname for the Asian boy. "No problem, Kurt. You guys just stay safe out there, okay?"

"Yeah, see you when we get back." The call ended. For awhile, the two Wylde brothers didn't say anything; they just sat there, unsure of the situation. Wylde popped a lifesaver in his mouth and offered one to his brother, but he declined.

"Umm, I think there's a diner around here somewhere," the Kurt said, and he started Bassline up again. They drove for a bit longer, neither speaking; now that everything was taken care of, they couldn't help but feel silly for making up.

Wylde couldn't take it; it was so quiet in the car; so painfully quiet…

"Did you know, every moment of awkward silence, a gay baby is born?"

Kurt laughed, though uneasy about the nature of the comment. Maybe things really were going to be okay now.

* * *

'I can't believe I let him talk me into this…'

Lani stalked the halls for her prey, the elusive clawed Monkey of greater Los Angeles. She was a girl on a mission, but she wasn't without her concern.

But there was no time for that; before she even realized it, Lani was upon her quarry in the kitchen. He had obviously showered, and was wearing a different outfit than usual. Monkey wore a sleeveless black denim vest over a white AC:DC concert tee with dark blue jeans. His usual hat was missing, but it didn't match his new look anyway. Lani stared at his fluffy red hair and thought about running.

She shook herself; what was she so worried for? All she had to do was talk to the guy! Lani stood up straight and strode up to the kitchen counter where Monkey was making himself a sandwich.

"Hey," she said nervously. "I heard about what happened. You okay?"

He looked at her, thrown off by her concern. "Y-yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She smirked inwardly and put a hand on his shoulder; 'putty in my hands.' "Are you sure, Monkey?" She did her best to look impressed while feeling his biceps, and was actually surprised to find he was pretty muscular. He'd always seemed so scrawny! "Wow, you must be really tough to just roll that off your back like that."

His cheeks were tinged with red and he grinned. "Well, I, y'know…" he said. He giggled! He actually giggled! Oh, this was just too easy! He really had it bad for her; that much was certain.

"What exactly happened back there?" she asked; enough buttering him up. It was time to go in for the kill. "Why were you chasing them in the first place?"

His gaze hardened, and he looked away, gritting his teeth. "He and my sister…"

"Oh, say no more," she said. "I understand why you'd be so angry. But don't you think Mel can take care of herself? She's a bright girl, Monkey, and strong, too; she's the type who can handle anything the world throws at her."

Monkey glared at her for a moment, then sighed, sitting down at the counter. "Maybe…maybe she is, but she's so young… She's only sixteen, Lani!"

"Well," she said, "How much of an age difference was there between your Mom and Dad?"

"Okay, you got me there," he admitted. "I just don't trust that Wylde; he can be pretty devious, y'know."

"I know this may be hard to accept, Monkey," Lani said; boy, was she pouring it on thick. "But if Mel hadn't wanted what was going on to happen, she could have stopped him. And if she didn't like him, why would she protect him from you?"

He growled a little, but it was more out of frustration and a sudden guilt. "I guess…"

In spite of herself, Lani took a step back and her eyes widened just a little. Anyone else probably wouldn't even have noticed, and she thought she was fine, but Monkey could smell fear. He eyed her guiltily, hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Lani. Really, I'm harmless."

When she answered him, her voice seemed far away. "Harmless?"

He grinned at her. "Mostly, anyway."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wylde laughed and drank a strawberry milkshake as his brother drove donuts in the hard packed desert earth. The had stopped at a Burger King's drive thru for a bite and went riding through the desert, and were pleasantly surprised to find a radio station they could both agree on. The first bridge from Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' blared from Bassline's speakers as Kurt sang along. Wylde put down his milkshake and sang with him.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man!"

"Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the fandango?"

The two sang in unison, and didn't even notice the call come through on the screen.

"Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening me!"

"Galileo!" "Galileo!" "Galileo!" "Galileo!"

"Galileo Figaro! MAGNIFICOOOOOOOO!"

Shirako laughed and Kurt turned down the music, blushing.

"Oh, by all means, boys," he said, stifling a giggle; "Don't let me spoil your fun."

"Hey Shirako," Wylde said. "What's the word?"

"The heat's died down, so get your asses back here. And you better not have scratched my car, Kurt."

The screen flickered and died, so Wylde shrugged and turned the music back up, but Kurt turned it down again.

"Listen, Ma--, I mean, Wylde," he said. "There's a couple of things I've been wanting to tell you. Today made me realize that life's pretty short, and um… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you to rot in jail like that, I'm a coward, and I honestly understand if—"

Wylde held up a hand to get in a word. "wWhat, after today? You saved my life, Kurt. We're even now."

Kurt smiled, and said "Brothers don't keep score."

The younger of the two grinned, his milkshake making a slurping noise in the straw. Kurt popped a couple onion rings.

"There's something else, too," he said nervously. "Something I've been hiding for a long time. I'm—"

He paused, swallowing, and glanced out the window. Wylde raised an eyebrow.

"I'm gay."

"Yeah, I know" he said, nodding.

"What? You're not mad?"

"Pfft!" Wylde chuckled, rolling his eyes. "It ain't like it's much of a shock, Kurt. You wear eyeliner, you read girly romance mangas, you've got that weird little nickname for Shirako. In high school, you coulda had your pick of the litter, _Mr. Big-Man-On-Campus_, but you never had a single girlfriend. Gimme some credit, man; it wasn't that hard to figure out."

Kurt blushed, feeling suddenly quite ridiculous. "All this time… Why didn't you confront me?"

"Figured you'd say when you were ready. Besides, everything worked out for the best, didn't it? We might fight like cats and dogs, but you're still my bro, Kurt. I'll love ya no matter what."

Kurt smiled, his heart soaring. Alll the excess baggage he'd been carrying around for all those years had finally been lifted from his shoulders, and he didn't have to hide anymore. Laughing whole heartedly for the first time in quite awhile, Kurt turned the music back up.

"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? So you think you can love me and leave me to die? Ooooh, babaaay! Can't do this to me babaaaaaaaaaay! Just gotta get out! I just gotta gettta right outta here!"

And with that, the two made a beeline for the Acceledrome.

* * *

A/N: Nothing really matters, anyone can see. Nothing really matters. Nothing really matters to meeeeeeee. Any way the wind blows….. Oh man, I love that song. I swear, I am sniffling as I write this. I had to put this all down, I just watched Wayne's World… Incidentally, the sequel to this story is going to be a musical. Who's done _that_ for AcceleRacers, hmmm? I have, and I'll do it again whether you want me to or not. 


	8. Down Time

A/N: This chapter kinda deals with acceptance. I guess it's pretty much just filler! I promise I'll get back to the realms in the next one. _Italics_ translated from foreign language! (Polish unless otherwise stated!)

* * *

Crying children. Men and women reduced to tears. German guards screaming commands in Polish.

A little boy was pushed past the gates against his will, weeping endlessly. Already, he had lost his mother to the Gestapo, now only he and his father remained. The sign above in cold iron read in German _Arbeit Macht Frei_, 'Work Will Set You Free'. A blatant lie; no matter how hard they worked, most of them would eventually be shot or get led off the gas chambers. But at least they were still together.

But that was not to last.

"_You can't go that way_," the guard said. "_Children only that way. The men go this way_."

"_NO! I won't leave my son_!"

"_You'll leave him whether you want to or not. That's an order_!"

The guard smacked Lolek Tezla in the forehead with the butt of his rifle, soliciting screams from his child.

"_Papa! NO_!"

Another guard grabbed the boy, taking him kicking and screaming off to the side of the camp for women and children only. His father, now unconscious, was dragged to the ovens.

"_Quiet, you_," the guard ordered him, "_or it's off to the ovens with you too. We have a higher official coming today, and if she hears you carrying on she will have you shot, so behave_."

Whimpering at his fate, the boy cried quietly to himself and watched the men in uniform line up as a Mercedes Benz pulled to just outside the gates. They raised their hands in salute, arms straight, and chanted as their superior stepped out.

"Zieg heil!" they chanted, and little Peter saw a woman in a black dress with snow white hair and glowing green eyes. The chanting rose in pitch to a mechanical whine, and suddenly the guards were all robotic. Peter was full grown, and the landscape around him was ablaze, crying out with the death throes of those who came before him, and the defeated weary Teku being led away.

* * *

Tezla awoke with a start, looking around him for swastika armbands, and then remembered where he was. He breathed heavily, trying to calm down.

"Only a dream..."

Of course, Tezla had had flashback dreams before, but nothing like this. Drones and Nazis? Now, that was just weird! Shaking himself out of it, Tezla got some coffee and made his way to the lab.

* * *

There seemed to be a great tension hanging in the air, and Tezla was beginning to suspect something had happened while he was sleeping. When he found Lani, he asked what was the matter, but she was reluctant to answer.

"There was a fight," she finally said. "Monkey thinks Mel is too young to be romantically involved with Wylde, and he caught them fooling around. Then he got really angry and tried to kill Wylde and Kurt."

He raised his eyebrows. "Damn. Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, I took care of it. He's not happy about it, but Monkey's going to leave them alone for now. Oh, and don't mind the blood on the garage floor. It's nothing."

He looked at her strangely, and then he walked off, shaking his head. "That's the last time I sleep in…"

It was now around noon; the portal for the Metro Realm had opened around 4 A.M., and having nothing else to do and being wide awake, Mel and Wylde had decided to watch a movie. The friendly horror flick had turned into something more, and Monkey didn't approve. After everything that had taken place so early that morning, Mel warned Wylde that they had better take it slow, and needless to say he was going to listen. But somewhere deep down, Wylde's heart ached; he was afraid Mel might blame him for her brother's anger.

For the first time in years, Wylde felt like he mattered to someone, and not just for his strength or skills or even his car, but for everything. He felt like…she really cared. Wylde thought about spending his entire life with Mel, and it scared him. Not the thought of spending his life with her, just that he even thought about it at all. She had hit her brother in the head with a muffler to save him; maybe he was reading too much into it, but to Wylde it seemed like a pretty grand gesture. Even when he considered she knew it would barely faze him, Monkey was still her brother, and they had a healthy relationship as far as he could tell. At least a lot healthier than he had with Kurt…

Than he _used_ to have with Kurt. Emotions were running high that day, and all seemed to be forgiven on both sides. Mel had protected them both and and they were safe for now, but there was still Monkey to worry about.

"Hey, Wylde."

Speak of the Devil. The red head spoke gruffly, and Wylde gave a nervous smile, eyes wide. So wide. Where the Hell were his sunglasses? Wylde had always hated his expressive eyes; boys back in the neighborhood made fun of how pretty they were, and they made it hard to lie besides.

His eyes didn't matter much, really, anyway; Monkey could smell fear.

"You know how old she is, right?"

He nodded.

"Then I don't have to tell you," he said, trying not to growl. "I promised her I wouldn't break you two up, and that's the only reason you're still here, got it?"

Wylde nodded again, the nervous smile fading.

"SO!" he said, clapping Wylde on the back; this caused the younger Maniac to jump. "No hard feelings about today then? Good!"

He grinned at the New Yorker, laughing a little. Wylde laughed right along with him, nervously, and then Monkey looked him right in the eyes, his expression completely serious.

"If you break her heart I'll break your legs."

Wylde swallowed, scenes of that morning playing in his head, and answered more formally than he'd originally intended.

"Yes sir."

"Then we understand each other." Monkey grinned again, but it was more of predatory grin than a friendly one. "I'm watching you, kid. Remember that."

Despite the fear, Wylde still managed to be somewhat ticked off that Monkey would call him 'kid'. He went to the garage to work on his car.

* * *

There were three things you didn't talk about if you wanted to avoid conflict: religion, race and politics. Nolo was talking about the latter two.

Though they were on the Teku side, and separated by some distance, Wylde could still hear the conversation perfectly.

"All I'm saying," Nolo said a little too loudly, "is that we should keep an eye out. Something has to be done about these mutants."

Vert looked at him incredulously. "Do something? Keep an eye out? Dude, that's what the Germans said about the Jews!"

"Well, in this case, I think it's appropriate. You saw what Monkey did! God forbid something happened to one of _us_ because he has another hissy fit." Nolo glared at the blood stained concrete, ignoring the fact that it was Monkey's blood. "Kurt, you agree with me, right?"

Wylde tensed, listening.

"I don't know," Kurt answered nervously. "I mean, I'm not really sure. Monkey reacted a little hastily, but I kinda see where he was coming from. I didn't trust Mel before, but she seemed like she genuinely wanted to protect Markie— I mean Wylde! Wylde."

He smirked from under his hood.

"Aww, whatever." Nolo glared at the blood stain again. "You're pretty nervous. You still jumpy, eh?"

"Huh?" Kurt blushed a little, and swallowed. "Actually, there's something I have to tell you guys…"

Shirako's eyes lit up like it were Christmas, and he walked over to Kurt. The two of them held hands and prepared to give them the news.

* * *

A/N: Hooray! They're OUT! I am a happy panda. SO! Yeah, that's basically that chapter... Up next: the Neon Pipeline Realm! Unless I got it wrong and there's a different one next. If there were, you'd tell me right? I don't have all the movies! Cut me some slack, people!! 


	9. Halfpipe

A/N: I have something very important to ask you at the end of this chapter, but not until then. Sorry I didn't update for a while, but I've been sick. And if you're wondering why the fic count went up, it wasn't me. I checked it out, so unless you can read Portuguese, don't bother.

* * *

And for a time, things at the Acceledrome took on a semblance of normalcy, at least for the most part. Monkey left Mel and Wylde alone on orders from Tork, only doing so out of respect for his fellow racer, and instead finding something else to occupy his time. The Maniac mechanic was in the process of fixing and reprogramming remnants of the captured drone his sister destroyed, and rather than worship her from afar, now appeared to be actively pursuing Lani. Kurt had saved Shirako's life in the Cliffside Realm; an RD-W1 drone (the luge guys) attached itself to Bassline. The thing got squashed, but not before it damaged the Nitrox tank to the point where if Shirako had hit the Nitrox, his car would have exploded. The Japanese youth had his music on so loud he couldn't hear Lani's warnings, and Kurt ended up running Shirako off the road, forcing him to use the EDR. Kurt won the race and brought back the Accelecharger from the realm, embracing his lover and apologizing as much as possible. Tork nearly died laughing. 

Taro also nearly died, but in the Ice Realm. He wasn't used to driving in such frigid conditions and lost control, taking an unexpected ski trip. When he woke up, he was thankfully near a hyperpod and managed to make it back to the track. It seemed he was going to win; however, what he'd thought was Chicane next to him was a car that belonged to a group Tezla referred to as the Silencerz, and it passed him to win the race. Taro was a little wary of Karma now, though he knew it wasn't really her, but… someone else. They didn't know who the Silencerz were, really, but he suspected Tezla knew more than he was saying.

In any case, it was as much of the same old same old as could be had at the Acceledrome.

Taro was suddenly aware of Mel standing near him with a smirk like the Cheshire cat's. He jumped, causing the young mutant girl to laugh.

"You were staring at her again, Ta-kun," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Was not. And don't call me Ta-kun."

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two are so jumpy around each other since the Ice Realm. You're staring at her, she's staring at _you—"_

"She's staring at me?!" Taro said hopefully, unable to conceal the optimism in his voice.

"Ah, so you _want_ her to stare at you."

He blushed slightly, fumbling for the right thing to say. "Nani?! That-that-that's not what I meant! I mean, no, I just—"

"_Taro and Karma, sitting in a tree,"_ she crooned, reveling in the embarrassed expression on his face as a few Teku entered at the other end of the cafeteria, and sang just loud enough for the others to hear everything she said.

"What are you, five?" he said exasperated. "Monkey, tell your sister to stop picking on me!"

Monkey only momentarily peered over the top of the Sunday comics before sighing and rolling his eyes. "Mel, quit bugging Taro."

"Oh, you're no fun," she said, taking a seat and getting back to her Lucky Charms.

Taro lowered his head, trying to ignore the snickers coming from the Teku table while at the same time sneaking a peek at Karma. She _had_ been looking at him, but when he caught her eye, she nervously turned away.

"Besides," he mumbled sadly, "she'd never see anything in a jerk like me…"

Mel playfully patted his arm. "Aww, don't sell yourself short, Ta-kun! I'm sure she'd give you a chance!" Again, she spoke a little too loudly, and the Teku outright laughed this time. All except for Karma, who seemed thoroughly annoyed, and Vert, who wasn't there. Taro sulked with his head in his hands.

"Kami. Someone shoot me…"

"I think cupid already took care of that."

The alarm sounded, and Tezla's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Saved by the bell," Taro smirked, heading for the garage even though Tezla hadn't called him just yet.

Mel noticed the blonde's absence, and remembered how he'd gotten so depressed and left. She didn't know him too well, but he'd been nice to her and she hoped he was okay.

Nolo and Shirako went to the garage, and Karma left after them, obviously hoping to put just a little distance between her and the mortified Maniac. Porkchop and Monkey followed Taro, Porkchop on his motorcycle named Jaw Jammer.

* * *

Mel watched in the control room, all the while painfully aware of how Lani tried to ignore her; how she was both annoyed and slightly afraid. After a while, Karma figured out that they were going to have to draft to make it through the closing doors, and back in the real world, Mel cleared her throat. 

"What's your deal?" she asked.

Lani jumped in her chair. "Don't take this personally, but I'm just not so sure I can trust you. There are a lot of…your people who make this world a little piece of Hell. Magneto and his Brotherhood…" She grimaced in disgust as she said the names.

"A few bad apples don't account for the race as a whole," she said, coldly.

The older girl eyed her carefully, then went back to the screen. "Whatever…"

It was an interesting realm; ramps and barriers popped up out of nowhere, gaps opened up in the surface of the pipes, and doors opened and closed to block your way or even crush you. Mel watched the Maniacs and Teku in amazement, never really having gotten a good idea of their skills, and let out a long and low whistle.

No matter how hard they tried, though, they still couldn't win this one, and when they came back, Dr. Tezla called them to the meeting room with an important announcement.

"It seems another team has secretly been entering the realms along side us..."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so that's that chapter. There's a ways to go still, but that's not why I called you down to the bottom of the page. I have a moral dilemma: For my plot to continue the way it's going, Wylde does NOT necessarily have to be captured by the Drones. Should I let him keep his arm? He'd be happier, and I'd be happier…but there's always that remote chance that it could damage the value of the story as a fanfic. GAHH! I don't know what to do!! Please advise me in your review! Should Wylde be captured, or someone in his place, if so, who, or should no one be caprtured at all? 


	10. Mad World

A/N: woof.

* * *

So, as it turned out, a group called the Silencerz was also entering the Realms; the Silencerz were highly advanced and had cloaking technology and that sort of thing, enabling them to fool the Teku, Maniacs and even the Drones…allegedly. Though no one said it out loud, the general consensus seemed to be that the good doctor was hiding something from them. 

After a few days, Lani apologized to Mel, and she didn't hold what was said against the older young woman; Mel knew Magneto had attempted to conquer the Hawaiian Islands a few years before, and quite a few civilians lost their lives before SHIELD and the X-Men could drive him out. As a result of the attack, Hawaii had become a definite no man's land for mutants, the locals heavily resenting their kind to an even further extent than the rest of the U.S.

In any case, Lani started being a little more civil towards Mel, mostly out of guilt, and the two soon found some common ground: picking on Taro. Which is what they were doing.

Mel and Lani tiptoed around the corner and observed their quarry as he slept innocently on the couch in the Maniac's common room; he had dozed off watching Joe Dirt and was completely unaware of the danger he was in. Nodding to each other, Lani and Mel went up to them with the tools of their trade, the elder with a comb and a pair of pink ribbons, the junior with a can of shaving cream and a feather. You see, as they got to know each other better, Lani had revealed she and Taro used to date and that he was an unusually sound sleeper, and together they had formed their cruel but hilarious plot.

Smirking, Lani looked at the snoring Jap in pigtails, and backed away as Mel tickled his nose with the feather. Whimpering in his sleep, he moved his hand to scratch at it and got a face full of shaving cream. Taro gasped as he awoke, coughing and cursing in his native language, and the girls ran off laughing.

The two of them stopped near the garage, giggling 'til they were breathless, and sat on the hallway floor. Mel snorted with laughter.

"Oh, man," she said, "that was classic!"

"I know, right? Did you hear him?" She paused, wiping a tear from her eye, and both girls laughed some more. "Glory be, he was pissed."

Mel stopped laughing suddenly, an empty expression on her face.

'_Hey, Mel, there's a free concert in the park. We should totally go!'_

Her friend's happiest moment on the last day of her life echoed through her mind. It was her fault. If she had just kept quiet instead of being such a showoff…

She shook herself, suddenly aware that Lani was trying to get her attention. "Huh?"

"I said, 'are you alright?' You were really zoning out there for a minute, Mel." Lani looked at the younger girl with concern.

Mel put on an easy smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "Just thinking about what Taro was saying; translated, it was probably along the lines of 'expletive deleted'."

Lani hooted with laughter. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Oh, it just pops up every so often. See ya 'round, Lani."

* * *

Wylde searched the halls late that night, trying to hide how frantic he felt; Lani told him how she'd acted strangely earlier, and he was so worried it scared him. Not that she was acting weird, but that he felt this way. In all his life, Wylde had never been this serious about anyone, and now that she was upset he was freaking out. Was it something he did? They'd been getting pretty close, but what if he was moving too fast? He didn't care about Monkey anymore, but Mel was his world, and that was what scared him most of all. 

After about an hour, he found her in the storage room where they kept the spare Nitrox tanks, hugging her knees to her chest and crying. Her hair was out of the usual ponytail, and fell in a curly tangled mess around her shoulders. Calling her name softly, Wylde dropped to his knees next to Mel, putting his arms around her and lifting her chin to look her in the eyes.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he said, trying to hide the panic in his voice. She looked away from him. "Did I...do something to upset you?"

"It's always gotta be about you, doesn't it, Wylde?!" she said, glaring at him, and it hurt him.

"Y'know," he said, "under the circumstances, I think you can call me Mark."

Her look softened, and she sighed. "I'm sorry, Mark. It's not you; I just," she paused, weeping silently. "I'm so far from home, Mark, and all my friends are gone. It's not like I can just call them up again-"

"Hey, I know Doc likes his privacy, but I'm sure you could just-"

"You don't get it, Mark! You just don't get it!" she yelled, her eyes flashing a momentary orange, but she caught herself and broke into fresh sobs. Wylde held her protectively, stroking her back.

"Hey, hey hey, shhh..." he said softly, "Kitten, why don't you tell me about it?"

"They're dead, Markie! They're all dead because of me!"

* * *

"Mel, yo! There's a free concert in the park today! We should totally go!" 

Seriously?! Who's playing?"

One of Mel's best friends, Gloria, giggled over the phone that the band was a punk trio headed by cute guy from their math class, and that she'd already called their other three friends, Donna, Lacy and Isabel, to come. Mel hastily agreed to the outing, and soon the five of them were laughing hysterically as they walked down the street, about some strange thing or other Donna had heard through the scene.

The five of them were a fairly odd group; Mel was relatively normal with a taste for silly pseudo punk, while Gloria was a little more hard core into the Sex Pistols, Lacy was a nerd but liked punk music, Donna was one of those activist girls who thought the music wasn't as important as the message behind it, and Isabel was extremely beautiful and intelligent. They were nice girls, but still all five were outcasts because they were mutants. Isabel's intelligence was of a hyper mutated nature, Lacy could read minds and see the future, Donna could manipulate the earth's cust to cause earthquakes, and Gloria could conrol fire but not create it.

It was precisely these strange abilities that made them outcasts, but it was also what brought them together; had they all been human, they never would have hung out. But they were all very good friends, because they were really all each other had outside of family.

Mel stopped laughing abruptly, her ears twitching, and she turned to see a little boy run into the street after a ball as a sixteen wheeler barreled down in his direction. Her instincts, senses and reflexes were all sharpened because of her mutation, and she was in the street before she knew it, snatching up the kid in the knick of time and leaving deep claw marks in the grill of the truck as she dove to the grass. People aroundn them gasped, and the boy's mother grabbed him from her arms, kissing him and scolding him for playing in the street. Mel's friends high fived her, congratulating her heroics, but Mel made the mistake of asking the boy's mother if he was okay.

"GET YOUR PAWS OFF ME YOU FILTHY MUTANT!"

Mel was shocked by the woman's reaction, but the gathering crowd seemed to agree. She could hear everything, even what they were muttering under their breath, and Lacy sent out a telepathic message that it was time to go. No such luck; a group of college kids who were having a barbecue and had obviously been drinking, started shouting out threats and slurrs at the girls. The people formed a circle around the girls, and someone threw a beer bottle. It smashed over Lacy's head and knocked her out. The crowd cheered.

"Hey!" Mel yelled at them, her eyes flashing that same orange and staying that way. "She didn't even do anything!"

"So what? She's a mutie just like you! I know her from algebra!" It was the boy from her class; the one she'd come to see that day.

Some of them started shoving the girls, and Gloria took a swing at some guy, but she missed and someone hit her with a baseball bat. The crowd was fast getting violent, and it was painfully obvious they weren't going to let the girls escape. Someone started booing the five of them, and from the booing came an all familiar chanting, a maxim repeated across the nation by the Friends of Humanity.

"No more mutants! No more mutants!"

Gloris flipped off the one who had hit her, and he smashed the bat over her head. She screamed and fell to the ground, and he man hit her again. Blood spurted from a gash on Gloria's face. Mel froze at such a grisly sight, and someone grabbed her from behind.

* * *

Wylde's eyes widened, and he held Mel as tight as he could, trying to make her feel safe.

"Oh, Kitten, " he said, using her pet name. "Oh, my Sweet Melissa, shh, shh, it's alright. Please don't cry."

Mel sobbed into his chest, clutching at his shirt. "I couldn't save them, Markie!"

"Kitten, ya can't blame yourself for something like this. There are terrible people in this world, and they're gonna do stuff like this no matter what. You never know what'll set 'em off, it's nobody's fault bu theirs. Please don't cry, Kitten, I hate to see you like this..."

The two of them stayed together that night, unaware that Monkey was watching over them.

* * *

A/N: Junk Realm next chapter. I promise.


	11. The Grudge

A/N: Sory this took so long, guys; A, it was a difficilt decision to make, even with your advice, and B, I'm saddled with double research projects right now, one for hisory and one for culinary. For culinary I picked Sicily, though it took some arguing and threats on my part, and what I basically have to do is a 3 page historical essay, which I could do in my sleep, find some recipes and type up a menu. For history, I'm doing "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the history of the conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the Ulster Volunteer Force, two violent radical groups on opposite sides. I don't even know why I'm telling you all this! I think I said it all in Drunken Lullabyes...

* * *

Oh, Mel...if only he'd been there for her. 

Monkey watched the two silently for a moment, and then turned away; he had definitely misjudged Wylde. The younger Maniac wasn't even trying to put the moves on her! He was just holding her, trying to comfort her, but something told Monkey Wylde needed Mel as much as she needed him.

And so, he let them be, and made sure they weren't disturbed until they were both asleep.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Monkey was far from growling at Wylde in his usual manner, and the Maniacs enjoyed a general peace for the first time in quite a while. Taro was still a bit miffed at Mel, though he didn't say much about it, and Porkchop and Monkey were talking about some project or other involving the big rig. Tork watched the closest thing he had to a family eat and interact, and he felt content with his place in life. 

Back on the Teku side of the cafeteria, however, things were not so great. Kurt and Shirako were being unusually affectionate, and Karma seemed to be heavily irritated over that. Nolo didn't have a problem with them being together, but he didn't want to take sides, and didn't feel much like arguing anyway. Vert still hadn't returned and the leader of the Teku was very worried. What if something had happened? Despite appearances, the blonde could be a little unstable, and though he would never admit it, it was a quality they shared. Nolo didn't even want to think about what he might have done. He pushed his Trix away dejectedly, just in time to hear a Suzuki motorcyle engine echoe through the garage. Nolo rushed to the garage. Vert parked the bike, taking off his helmet, and smiled at Nolo sheepishly, his shoulders sinking a bit.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," Nolo answered. Even though he was glad to see his friend, he was highly upset that Vert had left in the first place, and crossed his arms, glaring at the blonde. Vert cringed, and Nolo looked at him concerned. He walked over to his teammate and put an arm around his shoulder, leading him away. "I'm sorry, man, I just don't know why you left. What's up?"

"I got too full of myself, Nolo. That's why I was doing so lousy in the realms." Vert's eyes softened like they always did when he was depressed, and he looked away. "You're probably better off without me, anyway. I'm not the king of the road I used to be, I'm only holding you back."

"Hey, man, that's not true. C'mon, don't be like that! Really, it's-"

Nolo was cut off by the Realm alarm, but he could still tell his pep talk was getting through that thick skull, but only just barely; Vert smiled at him a little, and headed for Reverb. The leader of the Teku wished he'd been a little nicer; they faught sometimes, but really, Vert was a good friend, and he had problems, something deep seated, so the way he acted wasn't really his fault.

On the Maniac side of the garage, Taro and Tork were already starting Rivited and Power Bomb, respectively, while Mel was seeing off her boyfriend.

"Be careful, honey," she said, kissing him. Wylde smiled, and whispered to his Kitten that everything would be alright, while across the room Kurt and Shirako repeated the ritual, and both brothers headed off to their cars. Mel raised an eyebrow, looking Shirako up and down, but shrugged and decided it was none of her business. Nolo and Vert followed the Wyldes into the Junk Realm, and that was that.

* * *

The Junk Realm was littered with debris; everything had a rusty appearance to it, and the drivers had to keep their wits about them only to narrowly avoid the spiked wrecking balls and magnetic pendulums swinging above them. Still, true to their nature, they had fun with it. Wylde had old Judas Priest blasting from his speakers, and Kurt teased him over it. Honestly, how had no one figured out Rob Halford was gay until the nineties? 

"'Turbo Lover?' Christ Markie, I'm gay, but that's _really_ gay."

"Pfft! At least I'm not holding tickets for a Backstreet Boys concert, unlike _some_ older brothers of mine who shall remain nameless. Cough-Kurt-cough!"

"Oh, you win this round, little bro, but this race ain't over yet!"

"And what, praytell, are you implying?"

"That I'm gonna whip your ass by a mile."

"Like ta see ya try, creampuff!"

He listened to them joke over the comm link and a knot formed in his stomach; Nolo wanted to be happy for his teammate, that Kurt wasn't fighting with his brother anymore, but it only reminded him of his fights with Vert. Once again, he was alone in a crowd; one of many but the only one, and he hated it. Why did he have to feel like this? Why was he always alone? Was it just him, or... No. He knew who it was. Nolo knew who was to blame. Tone was only twenty three when he crashed the summer before and Nolo would never be able to forget the sight. Exhaling slowly, the leader of the Teku shifted and floored it to catch up to Tork. This time, he promised himself, he wouldn't let him get away.

Tork, meanwhile, had bigger fish to fry; the Metal Maniacs who'd entered the Realm were being chased down by a sweeper. He knew they couldn't outrun it forever and if they didn't figure something out fast, they were scrap metal. Too worrried about the sweepers, he barely swerved in time to miss something that resembled a medievil flail swinging from a pole like a giant, menacing tetherball, and nearly fishtailed off the road, but he regained his balance and continued, taking the lead.

Tork watched the road more carefully now, and didn't notice Synkro sneaking up on him...

* * *

Back at the Acceledrome, Monkey and Porkchop were secretly preparing the big rig, Old Smokey, for her final run; the way things were going, the only way to stop those damn sweepers was to let them pick on something their own size, and Smokey was the only vehicle who fit the bill. It would be dangerous of course, but Monkey had fitted the truck with Nitrox 3 and an EDR, so they weren't worried. And Lani had said it was a waste of time! This'd show her! After a quick look around, Monkey gave Porkchop the all clear and the two of them entered the Junk Realm. 

Mel whistled to herself as she made her way to the elevator, and suddenly stopped in her tracks; Old Smokey had roared to life and was barreling down the track to the portal, blue flames trailing from the wheels. Staring for a moment, she ran up the stairs instead because the elevator took too long, and told Lani what was happening. The older girl's jaw dropped and she opened the comm link to the truck.

"Are you crazy?! What are you two doing?!?"

_"We're driving Old Smokey..."_ the two sang in unison. _"Porkchop's at the wheel; And when we get to the Junk Realm, we'll make the Drones squeal!!"_

"What? Oh, God, you're not saying what I think you're saying!!" Lani screamed to them.

"Aww," Monkey said, cheerily, "I didn't know you cared!" And with that, they were met only with AC:DC blasting from the speakers.

_...I'm on the highway to Hell, the highway to Hell..._

Lani gasped at their choice in tunes and contacted Dr. Tezla.

* * *

He was catching up, now, tunnel vision leading him towards his goal; not to win, but to kill. Tork had no idea what was coming his way, and even if he did, he would never have even noticed it. The head of the Maniacs had the ability to completely block out distractions, only paying any attention to the road, and that was one of the qualities that Nolo both admired and despised about him. He wished he had that kind of concentration, but he _hated_ being ignored. _Hated_ it. Why didn't he pay any attention to him? Why was he being ignored? Did Tork think he wasn't _good_ enough? Was he not considered a threat? Why didn't he _notice_ him?! Nolo couldn't stand it any longer, and made his move, sideswiping Power Bomb in an attempt to run Tork off the track, but it was no good; the Maniac sped up and steered inward, cutting Synkro off.

"What the hell, Pasaro!" he bellowed over the comm link.

"About time, Maniac. I been tailing you for a while now, " Nolo answered him. "I bet you thought I'd forget, didn't you? You thought I was just gonna let bygones be bygones? Well, no dice, chico. This ends here and now."

Nolo tried to ram Tork, but he swerved out of the way. "Dammit, Nolo, you're acting _crazy._ Cut it _out_."

Nolo only laughed at him. "I'm only giving you what you deserve. An eye for an eye, murderer," he practically purred. "And a life for a life."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, Nolo has issues, the full axtent of which shall be revealed later on. I know I'm teasing you here, but I enjoy it, so you'll just have to wait. This chapter was getting too long, so it's a two parter. 


	12. An Unfortunate Turn of Events

A/N: I think I forgot to say it earlier, so of course, I most definintely do NOT own the AcceleRacers franchise or storyline, nor do I own any of the Marvel Comics property mentioned in this fic. If it's in here, it's either owned by Mattel, Hot Wheels, Mainframe Entertainment, Marvel Comics, Marvel studios, or someone who is not me. However, Mel is mine and mine alone.

* * *

Panicking, Kurt and Vert begged for Nolo to think about what he was doing, to calm down and race, but Taro and Wylde played the bad cop to their good cop; if he knocked one hair on Tork's head out of place, he was a dead man. But he didn't listen. This was it; he didn't care if it killed him, as long as Tork was punished. Nolo shut off his comm link and concentrated on Tork's extermination.

* * *

Back in the real world, Lani was seriously stressing out; first the moron twins, now this! And here she thought Nolo was supposed to be the rational one. Tezla finally walked into the control room. 

"About fucking time," she hissed. "Porkchop and Monkey went into the realm in Old Smokey, but that's not important right now. Nolo's trying to kill Tork."

"What?! Oh, well that's just great."

"I've tried reasoning with him, but he closed off his channel. Is there anyway we could override the EDR system in Synkro to get him back here before he does something stupid?"

He shook his head, about to answer, but Gig cut him off. "The emergency driver return doesn't work that way. The only trigger for the portal matrix is the button in the cab."

Lani tried anyway, but the comm link crackled, the music finally ending.

"Hey, what's goin' on? The other racers look like they're drivin' on eggshells!"

"Yeah, they're being way too careful. Is something wrong?"

Lani jumped; that was it! Nothing could stop that truck, especially not a sedan, no matter how tricked out it was. Thinking quickly, the Hawaii native informed them of the situation and advised on how to proceed. The consequences weighed heavy on her mind, but they were risks that had to be taken.

Dr. Tezla smiled at her quick thinking; it was crazy, but it just might work…

* * *

Tork, meanwhile, was trying to pick the lesser of two evils. Should he let the Sweeper get him, or let Nolo satisfy himself with revenge? With the Sweeper there was a chance for rescue after the fact, but there was a good chance he could avoid Nolo all together. Man, this wasn't fair; it wasn't his fault— 

It wasn't. It wasn't his fault. The realization rang true throughout Tork's consciousness; Tone's death wasn't his fault. It was an accident, nobody's fault at all. Nolo was making a horrible mistake that he was going to regret for the rest of his life, and the only way to keep him from making that mistake was to survive.

Tork was about to make a u-turn to fight back when his comm link crackled to life.

"The situation is under control. Monkey and Porkchop got it covered, but I need someone to go back for Nolo so he's not left behind."

"He's trying to kill our leader!" Wylde yelled indignantly. "Who cares if that Teku scum get's stuck here?!"

"Shut up, Wylde. Now what did you say about Monkey and Porkchop?"

She answered him, but Tork couldn't hear her; Old Smokey's horn was too loud.

* * *

"You ready, Monkey-man?" he said, pulling down on the horn. They were coming up on the Sweeper now, and it wouldn't be much longer. 

As Porkchop had said before, the Maniac mechanic could get downright vicious if someone he cared about was threatened. Monkey's eyes flashed solid black with slits for pupils, but only for a moment; they did that sometimes. "Let's do this," he said, and Porkchop pulled the horn again.

He had to advance with extreme caution; if the wheel turned one inch too far to either side, they could crush the other drivers along with them. You see, they had a new target. The pair was still after drones, of course, but they were also after Nolo. It was the only way to stop him, Lani told them, but Porkchop didn't have much of a problem taking out a Teku.

Nolo was so focused on revenge that he didn't notice the plan moving forward. First, Taro, Wylde, Kurt and Vert slowed suddenly, falling back and giving them room while Tork kept his attention. The sweeper and its drone underlings focused on the only human drivers in front of it, keeping the other four safe without realizing it.

This was the end, he told himself. He was finally going to avenge his brother's death. He was glad that it was finally over, but he was scared, too.

Suddenly, a bright light twinkled next to him, and for a moment Nolo forgot where he was. But only for a moment.

"Now, what do you think you're doing?" said a sympathetic voice. "What's wrong with this picture?"

Nolo did a double take; in the passenger seat was…his brother. It was Tone.

"What?! HOW?!"

"That's not important right now, little bro," he said, firmly. "This isn't the way and you know it."

"But he—"

"No he didn't, Nolo. I drifted too far, lost it in the turn. It was an accident. Now stop this before you do something stupid."

"This isn't real," he said, staring at the road and avoiding a wrecking ball. His eye twitched a bit and he forced a smile, but it only made him look crazy. "This is all in my head. I'm hallucinating all of this."

"Maybe you are," Tone said, "but that doesn't make what you're doing okay. Don't let the rage control you, little bro. You're better than that."

He thought he caught a glimpse, but he turned to look and it was gone.

Nolo tried to shake off the confusion that was taking its hold; he had a goal here…he just wasn't so sure if he was committed to it anymore. As he finally brought himself back to reality, Nolo finally realized something was up. Where were Vert and Kurt? Or Taro or Wylde, for that matter? Glancing in his rearview mirror, Nolo saw Old Smokey barreling down on him and he swerved to the left doing 175 mph.

Time slowed to a crawl, Synkro flipping side over side in midair, and Nolo saw Tork slam off road when Old Smokey took out the sweeper in an explosion so great it rattled his fillings. It captivated him, but then he saw the wrecking ball swinging towards his car…

* * *

Two figures hit the giant cushion positioned near the portal, clouds of soot coming from their battered bodies. Monkey and Porkchop had waited until the last possible second to hit the EDR and had been very lightly scorched in places. Monkey coughed up some smoke, laughing at the whole ordeal, and Porkchop joined in; somehow, whatever didn't kill them always seemed funny as hell after the fact. 

"That was so cool!" Monkey said, and Porkchop high-fived him.

"Yeah!"

They banged heads and were about to start off towards the control room, when suddenly a third figure came through the portal, landing directly on top of Monkey.

"Umm, hi!" Nolo said nervously, hurriedly getting off of him. "S-sorry about all that, guys, _really,_ I don't know what came over me, heheheh."

The Maniacs glared at him, but shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to kill Tork," Porkchop said.

"Just watch yourself, Teku," Monkey added, growling, and Nolo twitched. "We Maniacs are family. We don't take kindly to this kinda thing."

Nolo nodded grimly, and backed away. He parted ways with the two Maniacs, Porkchop and Monkey going to the control room while Nolo stayed behind. He had to apologize to Tork. What was he thinking? He couldn't even remember; it was all a blur.

* * *

"That was insane!" Lani screamed at them, slapping Monkey across the face, which was understandable, but what she did next made very little sense. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. 

"Eew! I came in here to help, not for the mental scarring of my life, thank you!" Mel whined, looking away, but she was happy for her brother. She was glad he'd found someone. Porkchop laughed in a manner that reminded her pleasantly of Santa Claus.

Finally, they came up for air. Lani rested her head on his chest, and Monkey was grinning from ear to big goofy ear, his face heating up. "Oh wow."

"You could have been killed," she said softly, and he put an arm around her. Rolling their eyes, Mel and Porkchop left them alone and went to the garage.

* * *

Kurt made it through first, winning the accelecharger for the realm, and the rest followed. Truthfully, they were all a little surprised to see Nolo there, though Vert and Kurt were also relieved he was okay. His fellow Teku eyed him with concern. 

"You okay, man?" Vert asked him. Nolo smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I think so," he answered. "I did some pretty dumb shit, though. This ain't gonna help relations with the Maniacs."

"Well, duh."

Taro glared at him coldly, but Wylde just plain glared.

"You son of a bitch," he growled; he sounded almost as scary as Monkey when he did it. Wylde cracked Nolo hard across the mouth and the Teku went down like a sack of hammers. Kurt and Vert held him back by his shoulders and hair.

"Take it easy, Markie!"

"He just tried to kill our boss, dammit, Kurt!"

But it was more than that; while he was fighting with Kurt, when he joined the Metal Maniacs, Tork was like a brother to Wylde. No, more of a father. Nolo had attacked a Maniac, a member of his family, and Wylde wouldn't stand for it.

Nolo got up on his knees, rubbing his jaw. "Okay, I deserved that…"

"Damn right ya did," he hissed. "Where's Tork, man? I gotta talk ta him."

"He didn't come out yet," Nolo answered from the floor.

The Maniacs did a double take. "_What?!"_

"Kurt made it out first," he said. "Then Vert, then you and Taro. Tork's still in there."

In spite of himself, Nolo couldn't help but sneer a little as he said the last part. "Cutting it kinda close, don't you think?" Finally, he had his revenge.

So why wasn't he happy?

The clock ran out and thhe portal closed, and Wylde attacked the Teku leader again. This time, though, no one stopped him.

* * *

A/N: Nolo will not be a bastard forever; even he has a conscience. In fact, Nolo's conscience also serves as my muse. You met him about halfway down the page. So...Tork's gone. I wonder what possibly could have prevented him from making it through the exit portal? 


	13. The Wrong Things Right

A/N: Right, so, where did we leave off? Oh, yeah. Here it is.

* * *

"It's about time those two got together," he said. "Y'know, your brother's been making eyes at 'er since we got here. I kept tellin' 'im to make a move but he wouldn't do it. Boy has no self confidence." 

"I know, right?" Mel answered back, and then she sighed. "I just can't believe it was _her_. Lani was totally prejudiced against mutants when I got here; I never would've thought _she'd_ fall for _him,_ even if she thought he was human. You've lived with him, Porkchop; you know what a goof he can be."

"Ya got that right."

Mel and Porkchop laughed, strolling casually down to the garage to check out how the race went, but when they got there, the two of them abruptly stopped laughing. Wylde was beating the ever loving piss out of Nolo, and no one was even trying to stop him. Vert shook his head in shame, Taro grinned, snarled, really, watching over them, and Kurt seemed quite torn as to whether or not he should break it up. Mel gasped, rushing in so fast that to the others it seemed as if she had just appeared out of thin air, and lifted Wylde by the scruff of his neck. She backed away, holding him two feet off the ground, and huffed.

"Markie, what the hell are you doing?" she said. "I thought this whole war with the Teku was over!"

"Put me down, Mel," he said simply.

"Don't talk to me like that!" she snapped at him. Suddenly, she noticed that the ones who weren't staring at her were glowering at Nolo, and she placed Wylde gently on his feet. "What's going on? What did he do?"

He sighed. "Mel, this is bad. This is really bad."

"What? What's going on?" she repeated. She didn't like at all where the situation was headed.

"Tork didn't make it out of the realm. He's gone."

She covered her mouth and gasped. "Oh, man…"

On the floor, Nolo was getting up, wiping blood from his mouth. Damn, Wylde got in a good work out. He smirked outwardly, and he kept telling himself that it was over, that Tone had been avenged, but it felt wrong. All wrong. He'd made a terrible mistake.

Over the next couple of days, the Maniacs kept vigil, unsure of how to cope, and Taro took up position as leader. Nolo was cool and calm, but on the inside he felt like dirt. He'd done something horrible and it ate away at him; he wasn't sure if he could live with himself. Eventually, another portal opened, and they raced, and it really hit home then that Tork might not be coming back.

Mel had grown pretty attached to all the Maniacs since she came to the Acceledrome, and she was disappointed that bad things kept happening to good people, but her boys were worse off. Monkey blamed himself for what happened; he believed he could have done something to stop it, or at least tried harder to help him. Porkchop thought it must have been Old Smokey's last hurrah that blew their leader off the track. Wylde said they should have just killed Nolo as soon as he started up, and showed great guilt over the fact that they didn't, and Taro didn't say anything much at all for a time, though he expressed some regret over not protecting Tork more actively.

Kurt and Vert, too, were very apologetic about not keeping Nolo under better control; they could've stopped him and saved Tork, but they didn't. On top of this, Lani cried that if she hadn't left her post in the control room for just that second, it all could have been prevented.

So, really, the only one not taking the blame was the one who deserved it. All the while, Nolo watched the Maniacs in the garage and at meals, and no one really spoke to him, but that was okay; he didn't want to talk to them. He knew if he did, he'd lose it, maybe say something incriminating. He knew what he had done was wrong, but appearance was everything. He had to stand by what he did; they couldn't know he was guilty.

Nolo was roused from his thoughts as Vert grabbed him by the wrist like a child and pulled him down an empty hallway, ignoring his protests. Before Nolo could even try to get away, Vert twisted his arm. The leader of the Teku hissed in pain.

"Vert, what the hell?" he said as the blonde pulled him into the Nitrox storage area.

"I could say the same thing, Nolo," he said, shaking his head. "I knew you hated him, but I never thought you were capable of something like this. Damn, man…"

"Shut up!! He—he killed my brother!"

"Nolo, you know that's not what—"

"Shut up!!" he screamed. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, _SHUT UP!!"_

Vert called after him as he ran, but he didn't listen.

"Nolo, please!" he said, then his voice shrank to a whisper. "Let me help you…"

That was it; they probably thought he was completely insane, but, then again, maybe he was. Really, Nolo didn't know anymore. He was being ripped to shreds on the inside, and he couldn't find relief no matter how he tried. Nolo kept running, thanking whatever powers there were that no one was around, locked himself in an unused room off Dr. Tezla's lab, and for a moment he though maybe he deserved to feel like this. He slid down the wall, sobbing, and crouched in a heap, hugging his knees to his chest.

"I'm a monster," he whispered.

There was that damn twinkle again.

"No, you're not, Nolo," he said sympathetically. Tone stooped down next to his little brother, putting a hand on his shoulder, but Nolo recoiled. He still believed he was seeing things. "You had a moment of weakness, and made a mistake, but everyone deserves a second chance."

Nolo looked up at him, his tears slowing. Maybe he was hallucinating all of this, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do, so he listened to what Tone had to say.

"Tork's not dead," he told him. "He's lost, but he can still be saved."

Nolo was shocked by this statement. "What?! But how do you—"

Tone put up a hand to signal Nolo not to pry. "I just know. Look, you have to hurry. I know it's all pretty sudden, but that's how it is."

Tone smiled at him, then got up to leave.

"Wait! Don't leave!!"

"I'm sorry, little bro, but I have to. Just remember," he said, smiling gently, but his manner was totally serious. "This is on you. You have to make the wrong things right, Nolo."

That same light twinkled again, and he faded away.

* * *

Nolo barged into Dr.Tezla's lab, eyes still red from crying. "We gotta go back for him," he said. "We can't just leave him, man; we gotta go back for Tork." 

Gig floated gently past him. "The portal has never reopened once a realm has been successfully completed."

"We can't just leave him there! Figure something out!"

"What do you care?!" Lani snapped at him. "You're the one who got him left behind in the first place! What, you feel guilty, Nolo?! You wanna clear your conscience!?"

Nolo only stared at her for a moment, and then he looked away. "Something like that," he said, awkwardly.

Lani sighed, obviously upset. "Anyway, we already tried."

"Lani!" Dr. Tezla warned her.

"No. It's time they knew the whole truth. Tork and Kadeem weren't the only drivers lost in the realms. There were three others; Dan Dresden, Alec Wood, and Banjee Castille went into the realms," she said, pausing, "and they never made it out."

"Dios mio," he muttered. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

Gig answered again. "We thought you would be…discouraged."

"Even if we could go back, there would be no point," Dr.Tezla told him. "Tork has been captured by the drones."

"NO!" Nolo shrieked, breathing heavily. "I don't believe you!"

The good doctor smirked back at him and the monitors on the wall flickered to life. "Believe this. These are the final recordings from Tork's onboard camera."

There was a topsy-turvy view of a race track, and cold steel feet clunked towards the car.

"The drones have Tork, and there's no getting him back."

Lani put a hand on Nolo's shoulder to comfort him, but he grunted and shrugged it off, stomping out.

He admitted to himself that things looked bad, but they were still better than he originally thought. Tork had only been captured, not killed; the drones were ruthless, but they were smart. They'd probably keep Tork alive to try and extract information from him.

There was still hope.

* * *

A/N: Yay! See, he's not so bad! 


	14. According to Plan

A/N: The students of Virginia Tech are in my prayers, and my heart goes out to their families. Okay, as for the story, "the Major" is Vert's dad, and…that's it.

* * *

"Why should the Maniac's trust you?" Wylde spat at him. "You're the one who got Tork into this mess in the first place!" 

"That's exactly why I need to do this," Nolo told them, defiantly. "I did something awful. It's my responsibility to fix this. Look, I'll go in alone if I have to—"

"Whoa, whoa, now, Tork's a Metal Maniac," Porkchop said, cutting him off. "We take care of our own."

"I'm in," Taro stated.

"Yeah!" Wylde agreed, and smirked. "Besides, if we left ya to it, who says you wouldn't finish what ya started?"

Mel elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs, and the McClurgs shared a look, rolling their eyes. Nolo smiled at them, and turned to his Teku. "What about you guys?"

"If you ask me," Karma said, "it's about damn time we ended this stupid turf war and started to get along. We're in."

"Giddyup," Shirako agreed, and Kurt nodded.

Nolo breathed a sigh of relief. It had been mush easier to get them to gather under the same flag, so to speak, than he had expected; especially after he told them how Tork was being held captive by the drones. He actually started to feel like things were going to be alright. Walking up to the rock where Vert was sitting, he asked what was up.

"How 'bout you, Vert? You in?"

The blonde sighed. "I wouldn't be any help to you," he said. "Not with my leg all banged up."

"If you say so," Nolo shrugged. He didn't want to pressure him. Vert was still pretty down in the dumps; he had crashed his Suzuki in the Ruins Realm, wrenching his knee, but the injury wasn't very serious. Still, Vert was wearing one of those mechanical leg braces, barely going to the garage. He just wandered around, feeling pathetically sorry for himself. Nolo figured he just needed some time to get over it.

Kurt spoke up. "Right, so here's what I think we should do…"

* * *

Kurt had really come up with most of the plan; he'd gotten the idea from when Taro had accidentally gone through the portal wedged between two drone cars and ended up in the drones' headquarters while they were going through the Water Realm. The rest of it was basic Nascar blended with military strategy and cowboy antics from old John Wayne films. 

When the alarm sounded for the Cosmic Realm, they had to be ready. The two drivers who weren't called would enter the realm anyway, helping to take out drones as they went along, and all eight of them would drive in formation, stick close together, until most of the drones were off the track and then Monkey would be purposefully captured by a sweeper. Once it was taken over from the inside, the remaining seven drivers would enter the sweeper and use it to get to the drones' headquarters. They weren't sure where Tork was being held, however, so they'd have to wing it from there.

While Tezla called for Wylde, Monkey, Porkchop, Karma, Kurt and Shirako, Vert sat in his room, wishing he had gone with them after all. Tork wasn't Teku, but it would've been the right thing to do. A good soldier never leaves a man behind.

Now, why would _that_ particular phrase enter his mind? Man, just when he was starting to forget his father's words, he had to think about soldiers. Dammit. Why didn't the Major believe in him? He _said_ he was just looking out for Vert, that he didn't want him involved with a group like the Teku, which, really, was understandable; they were an illegal street racing team, considered by the cops to be no better than a gang. But still, Vert felt like the Major was afraid he'd fail.

He smirked to himself as he pulled on his jacket, remembering how the Major had told him he should quit.

"Maybe he was right…"

* * *

The Accelechargers weren't working. If they stuck to the plan, they wouldn't need them, but it was still a bit of a setback. Porkchop had a near miss with a black hole, but Taro got him out of it, and they immediately moved their plan into action. Monkey was a little upset to have Rat-ified get 'eaten' by a sweeper, but with his claws and healing factor, he was the best candidate for overtaking any crew members the sweeper might have. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Monkey was essentially a perfect killing machine. At the very least, he thought, trying to look on the bright side, he'd get rid of some misplaced aggression. 

Reluctantly, Monkey allowed his car to be swallowed up by the great monster of a vehicle, gaining entrance while it started picking Rat-ified apart.

"Not this time!" he said, swiping at a mechanical arm, slicing it to bits. "You can't catch the Monkey-Man!"

Monkey made his way to the cab, sneaking up on the robotic driver, and growled. The drone rose from its seat, its head turning a full 360 degrees on its neck, and made an angry sounding mechanical noise. The Maniac Mechanic lunged at it, claws fully extended, and tore into his enemy; in under a minute, only scraps remained.

Once the sweeper's pilot was taken care of, all that was left was to figure out how to drive it. Porkchop was lots of help once he got on board; the controls were pretty similar to Old Smokey's and they got going pretty quickly.

After taking out some drone cars and the other two sweepers, Monkey retracted the spinning blade in the front and let the drivers into the cargo bay.

* * *

Nearing the control room, Vert could hear Dr. Tezla discussing with Lani what the drivers could possibly be up to. 

Tezla's voice rang with realization. "Remember what he said, when we told him about Tork's capture?" he asked, running a hand through his slightly thinning hair. "They've gone into this realm to try and save him."

Vert made his entrance. "They all have; the Teku _and_ the Metal Maniacs. Nolo brought us together _away _from your cameras."

"Oy Gevalt," he muttered; this was _just_ what he needed right now. These kids would be the death of him. Didn't they realize what was at stake here? "Pfft! They're risking everything!"

"For Tork?" Gig asked with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Sometimes, he was so human, it was scary.

Suddenly, the feed from the onboard cameras gave out.

* * *

Mel leaned against the wall on the Maniac's side of the garage, rubbing a medallion of St. Michael between her thumb and forefinger. It was a gift from her father; he had placed it in her hand on her thirteenth birthday and told her to be strong, kissing her on the forehead. The Archangel Michael had driven Satan and his followers out of Paradise, casting him into the Pits, and had become the Patron Saint of Warriors. Mel and Monkey had been raised Catholic, and this medallion was a very profound gift. It really meant a lot to her; not just for her religious beliefs, but because it was from her father. 

She laughed softly to herself and remembered that Monkey had received a medallion of St. Christopher, the Patron Saint of Travelers. Their father had elaborated that Monkey was strong enough, but what he really needed was a good head on his shoulders to find his way through life. Mel had laughed so hard at that.

Mel had found a new family with the Maniacs, and she really loved Wylde, but she had never been away from home much before. It was great to see her brother again; he had only come to visit once since he'd moved to LA. She just missed her parents so much...

Out of the blue, Mel heard a distant rumble, and twitched her ears to focus. It was a mile off and coming closer; a terrible roar of engines and an all too familiar mechanical whine. Mel ran up the steps and hid behind a support beam, watching in dismay from the corner of her eye as the drones invaded the Acceledrome.

* * *

A/N: I have so much fun leaving you guys hanging. Do you know that? I really do. This should only take two more chapters at most before we've past the 'Son-we-need-to-talk' scene and I can get on to why I wanted to write this damn thing in the first place. I've been reading and watching espionage stuff non-stop to get it just right. Wish me luck! 


	15. Under Attack

A/N: WOOO! I don't know why I said that. See if you can spot the quote du jour!

* * *

"Even if they _could_ take over a sweeper, entering the Drone's headquarters without working Accelechargers is madness." 

"If the cars aren't reading the Accelechargers correctly," Lani answered Dr. Tezla, "maybe it's something they can fix."

"The cars are in perfect working order. I checked them myself," Gig piped in. Vert eyed him suspiciously.

"Did you check the Accelechargers?"

"There was no need. Dr. Tezla is the only one with access to the Accelechargers."

Lani whispered to Vert to keep trying to contact the drivers, and left. Moments later, Gig slipped out after her. He followed her to a secluded area outside of Tezla's lab, right where he had left the Accelechargers. She had found them and the game was up, bu that was okay; his partners always had one more trick up their sleeves.

"Hello Lani," the small robot asked, floating up to her. Even though he was just a little thing, Gig had always sort of creeped her out, and Lani was startled. "What are you doing down here?"

She didn't bother with small talk. "The drivers don't have the real Accelechargers. I don't know what's going on here, but I'm going to find out."

"Now, Lani, let's not be rash…"

"I'm taking the Accelechargers to Dr. Tezla."

"I can't allow that," he said, swooping menacingly. Lani backed up, hitting a silver car, and gasped. If Gig had a mouth, he would have smirked. "He won't hurt you, Lani. He's just here for the Accelechargers."

"You're working for the Silencerz!" she said.

"So did Dr. Tezla. He was one of their top scientists before he stole their most valuable technology, including _me_. Just give them to him, Lani. He won't be very pleased with you if you don't."

Lani ran, knocking a shelf into the path of her attacker, and made it into the elevator just in the nick of time. The doors closed, cutting off the Silencer's way of grabbing her. Gig floated gently, unperturbed.

"We can still catch her."

Lani took a deep breath as the elevator door opened on the second floor, then squealed and hit the button to close it, but it wasn't any good. The drone on the other side gripped the hatch, prying it open as she screamed.

* * *

Lani had told Vert she'd be right back, but with what was going on now, the surf rat had his doubts. The Drones were piling into the Acceledrome without any sign of stopping, and things did _not_ look good for our heroes. Vert tried to convince Tezla that he could help him escape, but the old man wouldn't hear it. 

"It's too late for me, Vert," he told the boy. "I'd only slow you down. Take Reverb; I've added a Nitrox3 afterburner."

Vert took the key, and then said, "If I can get in touch with the others, I'll warn them."

"They can't be reached, Vert. You're the only one who can stop her."

Vert reluctantly nodded, snaking his way through the garage to make his escape.

* * *

"Okay, man, we're coming up on the portal now. Stay cool." 

"Look who's talking, Pasaro," Monkey answered. "Quit gripping the back of my chair. You're sweating all over it."

Nolo backed off and leaned against the wall as they broke through to the other side, an inky blackness breeched by an eerie green glow. As they passed through the streets of what looked like a deserted version of the Metro Realm, downstairs in the cargo bay where the cars were parked, life's little dramas continued to unfold. Shirako was blasting some industrial band in his _headphones_, but it was still loud enough to drive Porkchop crazy. Of course, there were also matters of the heart to be concerned with.

He tried to control himself, but Taro couldn't help but steal a glance at Karma. He caught her eye and looked away, embarrassed. She watched him for a moment, until Taro got the courage to look her way again, and Karma turned from him, blushing slightly. Kurt watched both of them, but he could only shake his head and snicker. He was interrupted, however, when Kadeem's strained voice came over the comm link. Kurt answered him back.

"Kurt! I am so glad to hear a familiar voice!" he said. "Listen, there's another man being held prisoner here. I think he's a Metal Maniac. We're in the tallest building!"

"You heard him Monkey. Be on the look out."

Monkey kept on driving, and he and the others never suspected that it was a trap. As they made their way towards the tower, the drones informed Gelorum that the humans had entered Hot Wheels City in control of the sweeper.

"Do not allow them to make it back to the portal," she said. "But even if they do make it back, there will be nothing left for them to return to."

Indeed, Gelorum and a good strong five-hundred of her minions had swarmed the Acceledrome as so many ants cluster on a melting popsicle on the sidewalk. The old 'bot herself had Dr. Tezla under her thumb in the garage as one of the lower ranking drones brought Lani, Gig and the accelechargers to her. Lani apologized to the doctor for letting the drones get them, but Gig told them how it had happened.

"Like all Silencerz X-AD8 units, I am hardwired to be ultimately loyal to the Silencerz," he said. "I must do what I was programmed to do."

"I might say the same," Gelorum said, entering the room. "Now I finally have enough accelechargers to defeat the Accelerons, and _destroy_ them."

She looked down her nose at the humans before her, Dr. Tezla shaking his head in shame and defeat; this was only a small victory for her on the road to avenge herself against the Accelerons, at least in her mind. She let out a small laugh, terribly convincing. "And once I'm done with the Accelerons, I'm going to come back to _this_ little blue planet and exterminate you _humans._ Actually, on second thought, I might keep a few of you alive as pets. Who knows? The night's still young—"

"And you're still UGLY!!"

Gelorum was cut off as Mel dropped from the ceiling, eyes flashing that same dangerous orange, and lunged at her. One of her underlings dodged in front of her, knocking Mel against the wall, but she got right back up again, snarling and tearing the drone to bits with her bare hands. She stood up straight, growling, and her fingernails grew long, black, and diamond hard, turning to claws. Gelorum fled to her car in the garage, and on of the drones remaining in the meeting room called out through the now shattered glass window.

"PROTECT GELORUM!! SHE MUST GET THROUGH THE PORTAL AT ALL COSTS! PRootwe—eh—"

The drone's speech ceased as Mel ripped its head from its shoulders. "Are you alright?" she asked, frantically, and to Lani's and the doctor's surprise, she hugged them both. "Oh, this place is going to heck in a hamster ball! We gotta get outta here!"

"We can't leave the drivers hanging like that," Tezla answered firmly. "This is the only facility equipped to communicate with anyone in the realms. Besides, if they come back and the drones are still here, they'll all be killed."

"Okay, fine, you're the boss," she relented; there wasn't time to argue. "You and Lani should be fine up here, but I'm going back out. I'll try and keep them away from the stairs and elevator."

"Wait, what?!" Lani said, but Mel shrugged off her jacket and stretched, cracking her knuckles. "You can't be serious! Mel, your brother would never forgive us—"

"Thank you for letting me stay here, Dr. Tezla; it was very kind of you," she said, and winked at them. "Sometimes, you have to protect the people you care about."

And with that, she dove out through the same hole she'd shoved the drone's body, landing expertly on another drone's shoulders and crushing it. The metal beasts never knew what hit them.

* * *

Vert snuck through the garage, staying low and sticking to the shadows, to get to Reverb; they were all counting on him. Truth be told, Vert wasn't sure if he could count on himself, but he couldn't just give up. All he'd be doing was proving his father right. Besides, Gelorum had said from the start that once she'd defeated the Accelerons and Dr. Tezla's racers, she was going to destroy the human race. It wasn't just the other racers who were counting on him, but the _world_. 

It was a lot of pressure, but it was just the kick in the ass he needed. There was no way he could let her win.

Vert ran over a line of drones while Sparky distracted them, and pulled the robot into the cab, the two of them heading for the portal.

* * *

"Does this look familiar?" Monkey asked. "I think we've been this way before." 

Kadeem answered over the comm. link. "Just keep going straight ahead! I can see you now!"

"You heard him, Monkey," Kurt said.

Monkey continued, though he had a funny feeling about it. He muttered to Nolo, "Ever get the feeling you were being watched?"

Nolo laughed uneasily, ignoring the knot forming in his stomach. Tone was standing right next to him, pleading for his brother's attention, but Monkey couldn't see Tone, and to Nolo, that was only more proof that he was going insane. Sure, there were things that Tone had been right about, but they could have been coincidences.

"Nolo, please, listen to me," he hissed; "This is a trap. You and the others are in danger. You have to go the other way before it's too late, little bro. Nolo!"

He paused, waving a hand back and forth in front of Nolo's face, but he turned away, ignoring him. Now, Tone was upset. "Manuel Joaquin Ricardo Littlefox Pasaro!"

Nolo winced upon hearing his full name, sparing a glance in Monkey's direction; no, he hadn't heard. Tone, on the other hand, huffed, and disappeared with a twinkle of light. If Nolo wouldn't listen, then he'd have to make his presence known elsewhere.

In the cargo bay, Karma was pretending to be okay, but she was worried about how Taro looked at her. What did he think about her? Did he like her? It was a big dilemma; if he did like her, would it ever work? He was a Metal Maniac, after all, and that could be a problem. Why was she thinking about romance in a situation like this, anyway?

Karma sighed, but she stared straight ahead, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as a voice whispered in her ear.

"It's too quiet," the voice said. "Things are going too easy. They know we're here; we're being strung along. Something's very wrong here. We're in danger."

Karma couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from, but it sounded so familiar, warm and sweet; she felt like it was telling her the truth, and it made her feel safe, but it scared the hell out of her at the same time.

"Monkey," she said, on the verge of panic. "Monkey, stop the sweeper! Stop it now!"

"Huh? Why? What for?"

Tone appeared again, shrugging, and gave an innocent look, and Nolo realized he was really there. He nodded, yelling at the Maniac mechanic. "Monkey! Do it!"

Monkey slammed on the brakes, stopping just in time to avoid a blast from a laser cannon mounted on a distant rooftop. The redhead looked at Nolo questioningly, then retracted the blade wheel to open up the cargo bay, and the drivers headed out into Hot Wheels City.

* * *

EXTRA LONG CHAPTER! Oh yeah; _that's_ why I said 'WOOO!' I loved writing this. I just simply adored it. The quote was "the night's still young- and you're still UGLY!" form Ultimate Spider-Man, a comic book you probably don't read. Spidey said it to Doc Ock. I'm trying to speed things up, I'm sorry, but this story's not done yet! I've got big surprises for you once Vert's at the...well, you know where he'll be, at least, partly, anyway. This follows through to the end of Ultimate Race and the further. 


	16. Take the Power BACK

A/N: Sorry for taking forever; I was having a little trouble tying up the end of this chapter. That's why it's extra long. Like the last one! Plus, I had the Prom last Friday, May 4th. Not terribly dissapointing, but it didn't make or break my day. Here you are, then. Enjoy!

* * *

Vert sped on through the Storm Realm, ignoring the lightning and focusing on the track; he'd already been through some realms he hadn't even seen before, but the shock didn't last long. Hearing a few comforting words over the comm link from Lani, Vert managed to maintain an almost neck and neck status with Gelorum on the track.

* * *

If they were mildly surprised to find humans in their midst, the drones didn't show it. They had adapted quickly. But so had the Teku and the Metal Maniacs.

An RD-06 pulled between the Wylde brothers, and they shared a smirk. Kurt and Markie slammed into each other, executing a perfect Malachi Crunch, and smashed the drone before it could do any damage. They picked up the pace even further, Nolo trailing only slightly behind the two, and Kurt called over the comm. link.

"Nolo, you go after Tork," he said, though Wylde looked at him like he was crazy. "We'll hold off the Drones."

Nolo nodded, taking a sharp turn towards the highest skyscraper in the Hot Wheels City skyline, and the two brothers watched Drift Tech speed off. Nolo could finally fix the mess he had made.

Moments later, Nolo had pulled up a ramp and onto an elevator, taking him to the top floor of the building. Cautiously, he got out, and started to poke around; Tork had to be around there somewhere. If anything had happened to him, Nolo would never forgive himself. How could he have been so blind? Suddenly, Nolo jumped back as a hole opened up in the floor, and Tork's tranquil form, bound by shackles, rose up to room level. His left arm had been replaced by a cold steel one, shining in the eerie green glow of the drones' headquarters. Nolo's breath caught in his chest; Tork wasn't moving.

"Dios mio," he muttered, and turned away. "Oh, what have I done? I'm sorry, Tork, I'm so sorry…"

A large chair turned around, and someone Nolo didn't recognize was sitting there. He seemed as if he had been human at some point, but his eyes were glowing green, and wires attached robotic parts to his organic ones. All that remained of his original body were his head, torso and left arm; the rest was all drone parts. The figure in the chair smirked maliciously.

"If you are here to save me," he said in a West African accent, "I'm afraid you may be too late."

Nolo scrambled away in a moment of panic, forgetting why he was there, but there was no escape; the man Kurt had said was called Kadeem jumped high above him and landed directly in his path. Nolo took a swing at him, but he was knocked effortlessly aside. The cyborg advanced on him again, and Nolo backpedaled until he was up against the wall.

"Do not be afraid, my young friend," he told Nolo. "It is not so terrible to be a drone. I'm sure you'll get used to it in time, just like—"

Suddenly, Kadeem stopped, looking up, and gasped, and Nolo followed his eyes.

"Tork…"

Just as Nolo blurted out his name, Tork lunged from the shadows, kicking Kadeem in the face, and landed on his feet. The cyborg landed with a great crash, but he got right back up again, grinning at the boys.

"Fucking blood traitor," Tork spat. "You know what they'll do when it's all over. All those people—"

"All those people are going to die," he interrupted. "The drones will kill them and destroy the Earth. The humans do not deserve what they've been given, and so Gelorum is going to take it from them."

Tork let out a primal yell, attacking Kadeem, but it didn't do much good; what flesh Kadeem had left was dead, kept mobile by electric impulses. He had stopped feeling pain long ago. The cyborg former leader of the Dune Ratz tossed Tork like a rag doll, springing up after him, and Nolo watched in awe.

"Shit," the Teku muttered, and took a nearby lift up to the roof after them.

* * *

Kadeem turned around, his electric eyes searching for his target, and located Tork standing on a beam. The head Maniac glared, gritting his teeth, and cracked the knuckles on his remaining hand. He had to be careful because of his new robotic arm, but the cold steel at his shoulder was more of a boon than a burden. It meant he and Kadeem were more evenly matched.

But could he beat this Frankenstein that the racer had become?

Kadeem stalked up to him, and Tork glowered defiantly. "Bring it on, tin man."

Kaddem lunged at him, and Tork punched him in the face a couple times, but Kadeem caught his fist. He pulled Tork towards him, hitting him in the stomach about five times before Tork managed to break away. He knocked the cyborg's feet out from under him, twisting his arm, and he heard the shoulder pop out of place from the pressure, but Kadeem was only annoyed. He held his shoulder with his robotic arm, growling, and forced the bone back into its socket.

"Very good," he said, taking a swing at the Metal Maniac, "but not good enough."

"Good enough to beat _you_, freak!!"

Tork took another shot at him, but Kadeem caught his fist again and landed one excellently on his nose. The young man was taken aback, and Kadeem used that opening to his advantage. His robotic hand closed around the Metal Maniac's throat, and he lifted Tork up, holding him out over the ledge.

"You would've made a good drone, my friend," he said with a wry smile. "But we can always make more."

This was it, Tork thought. It was all over.

But he was wrong.

Just as Kadeem was about to let him go, he was struck in the side of his head with a crowbar. The cyborg was knocked for a loop as sparks flew from the exposed wires on the back of his neck, and Tork landed safely on his knees. He looked up, and there was Nolo, holding the crowbar he kept in his trunk 'just in case,' which was now slightly splattered with a mix of blood and motor oil.

"Odaley, homes," he said, greeting Tork, then turned his attention to Kadeem. "And asta la vista, baby. FORE!" He swung the crowbar like a golf club, hitting the cyborg's fingers, and he fell from the ledge, plummeting to the ground far below.

"You get good distance on the skinny ones," he muttered, smiling weakly at the man he had once considered his enemy. "I'm so sorry, Tork. I wasn't thinking straight that day. I don't now if you can ever forgive me—"

"Hey man, I'm just glad someone came to get me at all. Let's just forget it, okay?"

Nolo nodded, his pride refusing to let him cry, and the two of them went back to Drift Tech.

* * *

"Why sacrifice yourself for Tezla?" she asked over the comm link. Vert had no idea how she had hacked into his channel, but he was sick of listening to her, that was for sure. He made a hard turn, barely avoiding some twisted pile of rust. They were back in the Junk Realm.

"You're just another machine—"

Gelorum's discouraging words were cut off as Sparky turned on Vert's mp3 player, and the blonde smiled. He was definitely one of them, robot or not. He had the personality of a child! The high spirited punk rock blared over his speakers; it was his lucky song.

"Junk Realm," he said, shifting and watching for the giant wrecking balls above and debris below. "Gotta hit the…APEX!"

He hit the turn expertly, avoiding two wrecking balls on opposite sides.

"_When I hit the ground, I hit it runnin'! GO GO GO GO! With the pedal down and the engine pumpin'! GO GO GO GO!"_

He was not only catching up to Gelorum now, but passing her. At the last minute, she managed to just get ahead of him, but only just, and they entered the Cosmic Realm.

* * *

"The last one," he muttered, watching the monitor. "He's almost made it…"

Lani sighed, looking out through the shattered window at the racers below. Most of them had there backs against the wall, the drones keeping them pinned in place, and Mel was on the opposite side of the garage, still fighting. Everyone except Porkchop, Monkey and Shirako, and of course, Vert, had returned via the EDR. Mel had put a serious dent in the drones' numbers, but the Acceledrome was still overwhelmed. The Wylde brothers watched in awe as she tore another drone to bits, snarling and growling, her chest peaking through the slash marks in her shirt. She'd gotten a little careless earlier, and a drone landed a lucky shot. Now, Mel was grabbed from behind by two drones, but she flipped around, smashing them into each other.

"Damn," Kurt said. "Markie, I can't believe you're dating _that_."

Wylde smiled dreamily. "I love a woman who can kick my ass."

Kurt shook his head, staring at his younger brother. "You have problems."

Just then, three of the missing drivers came through, and Lani turned back to the doctor.

"Porkchop, Monkey and Shirako have made it back through the portal. The drones have all of them."

"That doesn't matter, Lani! Vert has almost reached the _sphere!!"_

"What?"

"The perfect shape! The portal to the world of the Accelerons!!" He flicked a switch on the controls to communicate with the last Teku. "Vert, you can't let Gelorum reach the sphere ahead of you!"

Vert told Sparky to hold on and rammed his car against Gelorum's, causing both vehicles to flip over. Still, her car landed closer to the portal than Reverb, and he struggled to get out as he hung upside down. Vert finally managed to get back on his feet just as a floating entity in a racing suit came through the portal. Gelorum was speaking to it angrily, demanding that it race her, but the creature didn't agree.

"You used the Accelechargers to get through the realms," it said. "The other driver used his own skills. He is a true AcceleRacer."

"Not for long," she quietly fumed as the Acceleron used his powers to transmute Vert's outfit to a racing suit similar to its own. Livid, Gelorum dropped her assumed human form and revealed herself as the mechanical monster she truly was, and attacked the blonde.

The Accelerons are a peaceful race, but they will employ physical force if the need arises; the one that had come through the portal held up his hand, and Gelorum floated off of the track, surrounded by a bright celestial aura, and then, with a wave of his hand, he sent her flying into the void. With a nod and words of gratitude, Vert scavenged the Accelechargers from Gelorum's car, and walked back up the track as the Acceleron righted his car again. Just as the blonde made it back to Reverb, the comm Link flickered back to life.

"Vert! Where are the Accelerons? Do you see them?!"

"Oh, no, don't worry, Dr. T, I'm absolutely _fine_," he said, rolling his eyes. "I got the Accelechargers, and an Acceleron gave me some pretty cool threads."

Lani hip checked Dr. Tezla out of the way. "The drones have the other drivers, Vert. Is there any way you could use the Accelechargers to help them?"

Vert gasped, and immediately told the Acceleron that he couldn't go with him; his friends' lives were at stake. But the Acceleron—Nanigopp, he said his name was—was very understanding. He showed a little parlor trick to Vert to get his message across. A small wheel resembling the wheel of power appeared as Nans twirled his finger in a circle, and it glowed and floated towards Vert. The surf rat understood, and headed back home. The Acceleron opened a shortcut portal directly to the Acceledrome.

"Wisdom is a circle, Dr. Tezla," he said. "What you receive, you must give back."

Vert turned off his cameras.

* * *

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" he muttered. Dr. Tezla knew their lives were in danger, he just didn't get why Vert would turn down a chance to meet the Accelerons. But down below, Reverb slammed through the portal, taking out a line of drones. Even Mel stopped, holding up a drone she was about to deactivate the hard way, and the Teku and Metal Maniacs backed up towards the giant cushion. Tork cracked his knuckles, but even he was nervous as the window rolled down and revealed Vert behind the wheel. They cheered, and started fighting the drones along with Mel.

"Heeeeere's MONKEY!!" the Maniac mechanic called, unsheathing his claws, and entered the fray. Kurt and Shirako stuck close together, teaming up against a drone, and Taro used a detached drone's arm as an improvised club against some others. All the while, the McClurg siblings sliced and diced, clearing a path for their friends, and the remaining Teku and Maniacs headed for the sweeper. They called for Vert to come along, but he insisted on staying behind to hold off the drones.

"I didn't help before," he pleaded. "I have to do this. I can handle it, Kurt. Just get yourself out of here."

Reluctantly, he nodded and followed his brother and Mel, the last one into the sweeper, and on the other side, Lani had forcibly dragged Dr. Tezla out to safety. Gig broadcast a warning that all drivers were to leave, and, unbeknownst to Tezla's team, the Silencerz exited as well. Within a few minutes, the Acceledrome was on autodestruct; Tezla, Lani and the drivers had escaped, and Vert made it through the portal for the final time.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so I made a mistake about Son we need to talk. Oops. Next chapter. And has anyoneheard from Kara? I'm starting to worry again...


	17. Hide and Seek

A/N: Nembutal is a barbiturate used in both preoperative and forced sedation.

* * *

Reverb's brakes squealed as Vert and Sparky landed, entering the complex through a purple hologram of the wheel of power, and the Acceleracer and his robotic companion looked around themselves, unsure of their surroundings.

"The Hell? Sparky, where are we?" he asked, but the Maniac mechanic's pride and joy only sparked and said 'hello' in response. And then, out of nowhere, they appeared.

They were X-AD8s; the same model as Gig, and with the same abilities. There were four of them, and when the two in the front of the line twitched their heads to the side, Reverb's doors opened. They weren't saying anything, and Vert felt afraid for the first time in quite a while as men in hazmat suits approached the car.

"Sparky!! Hit the ED—" he started to say, but Vert was cut off as one of the men grabbed him and forcefully yanked him from the cab, and he struggled to throw him off. Soon, however, his scream turned into a gasp as the needle hit his carotid artery. The Nembutal entered his system, and everything went black.

Sparky followed the final instructions of his human companion, and returned to Highway 35.

* * *

"Slip me some metal, baby!" were the next words the little 'bot heard. This was amazing! Monkey was glad Sparky was okay, but still he wished he was a little easier to understand. He was pretty good at charades, but all he could manage to decipher was that someone was angry with them and they went through a portal. After that, Sparky's only answers were unknowing shrugs. They had no idea where Vert was.

After a while, Lani contacted them to make sure they were okay, but she didn't have any word on the blonde Teku either.

"We need to regroup," she told them, "then we can go look for Vert together and we won't have to worry about each other's whereabouts." Porkchop and Monkey guided her and Dr. Tezla to the location where they were parked in the desert, ten miles from the original explosion.

But first, they'd rest a bit; the events of the night before had worn them out, and the last thing they needed was Porkchop asleep at the wheel. However, even though they'd had such a tiring night, Nolo couldn't sit still for long; he had too much to think about. It was great that he and Tork weren't fighting anymore. The leader of the Teku felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but not necessarily from guilt. He absentmindedly walked up the shoulder of the road, stopping at the sign that read Highway 35.

"You did it, bro," Tone whispered, smiling down on him as he hung the little T necklace on the highway marker. Nolo turned to face him, but only a few white feathers floated down to greet his surprised face. Back by the sweeper, he could see Tork standing there, and the Metal Maniac called out to him.

"Hey, Nolo! You with us or not?

Nolo smiled. "Yeah. I'm with you."

* * *

Oh, his poor aching neck. Vert Wheeler hadn't felt that kind of pain since the last time he skateboarded, and it was definitely not a fun trip down memory lane. And why did his head feel so funny? The last thing he remembered was driving through the portal, and then he was someplace new…

Snapping to attention, Vert looked wildly around and recognized a silver and purple car; he was at the Silencerz base. Carefully, he got out of the seat he'd woken up in and took a few steps, but the workers noticed him and his escape was blocked. Panicking, he ran the other way, but they boxed him in, and a figure in a racing suit approached him.

"Who are you?!" the blonde demanded, backing away. "What are you trying to hide?!?"

The figure stopped in front of him, taking off his helmet, and Vert's eyes grew wide with shock.

"Son," he said, "we need to talk."

"Dad?"

Behind his father, a single slow clap started up, and the workers parted. Major Jack Wheeler turned halfway to face the advancing man in a lab coat, surrounded by guards.

"Oh, how I love these heartfelt family reunions. Bravo, bravo, bravissimo; Jack, you really have done it this time." The man was around Dr. Tezla's age, give or take a few years, and he smirked viciously at them. Jack scowled.

"I got you the wheel, Stryker," he said. "I kept up my end of the bargain."

"Hmmm, yeah, about that; I lied. Guards!" The uniformed men advanced on the two Wheelers, raising their M-16s. "I'm sorry, Jacky, ma boy, but you know how these things go. We can't achieve world domination with informants running about, now, can we?"

"But I—"

"How stupid do you think I am, _Major?!_ You think I didn't know you've been talking to SHIELD from the start? Lucky for you, you still have use to us as a bargaining chip." He stopped, snickering quietly. After a moment, Jack snickered right along with him, and Stryker became unnerved. "What's so funny?

"When this is all over," the Major answered with a completely friendly face, smiling, his voice pleasant and even, "I'm gonna snap your neck like a fucking twig."

Three guards raised their rifles, pointing it at Vert, who looked fearfully towards his father, his eyes silently pleading for his help. The Major gasped.

"You said he wouldn't get involved!!"

"This is you're doing, Jack. Not mine. You can save him, if you choose to do so."

He hesitate for a moment, but his head sunk in defeat. "I—I'll do whatever you say. Just don't hurt him. Just, please, don't hurt my boy."

Stryker smirked again, and held his hand up for the guards to hold their fire. Vert gave a sigh of relief. "Put them in opposite ends of the cell block, and if either one makes a break for it, shoot to kill."

The guards gave an affirmative answer and led the two Wheelers away. The Major warned Vert to do what he was told, to which Vert merely nodded, both physically and emotionally drained. This was shaping up to be one lousy day.

* * *

"That was so cool, Mel," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "My little hellcat…"

"You're…you're not freaked out?"

He laughed. "After all I've been through, there's not a lot that shocks me. And you protected us, Mel. Who knows what could've happened? Thank you, kitten...My Sweet Melissa…"

Mel put her arms around Wylde's neck and they held each other, sharing a innocent kiss, but they were interrupted by a hail of catcalls and wolf whistles. Mel laughed and rolled her eyes, but Wylde flipped them the bird, jokingly. What had they expected, really? It's rather difficult to have a private moment sitting in the cargo hold of a sweeper with six other people watching you.

"Ay Papi!" Nolo called, leering at them. "Someone's taking a walk on the Wylde side!" To everyone's surprise, Tork answered pleasantly to the Teku.

"Oo, baby, don't let us stop you!" he purred, and he and Nolo high fived.

Mel blushed. "I'm gonna go see what's going on," she said, and met Lani and Tezla outside. It was a good thing Monkey had been in the cab with Porkchop and Sparky. If he'd seen it, he would've gutted Wylde like a fish. She was actually looking forward to being with Lani and the Doctor; they were a little boring, but they were also the only civilized people she'd been around in a month.

However, the moment she got to them, Dr. Tezla turned away, giving a polite cough. "You're, umm, putting on a show," he said, pointing to her chest, and Mel looked down, yelping as she saw the claw marks on her shirt that revealed an immodest amount of cleavage and black lace.

"Oh my God! I can't believe no one told me about that!" she whined, covering up with her hands, and gratefully accepted her denim jacket form an amused Lani. Despite the arid weather, she buttoned it up all the way. She was gonna _throttle_ them; every last one. "That is so embarrassing. I'll never be able to look them in the eyes again."

Lani shook her head, loving every minute of it, and greeted a Monkey who was very happy to see her. After satisfying himself that she was unharmed, he inquired to his other concern.

"Any word on Vert?"

"None yet," she admitted. "I hope not, but I think he might've gotten caught in the blast."

"Lani, that's terrible! What should we do?"

Dr. Tezla broke into the conversation. "Don't jump to conclusions. He could've ended up anywhere," he said, then added, "But Lani, you may be right. As much as I hate to say, Vert very well may have been a second or two too late to escape. Just so we don't run in circles on this one, we should head back to the Acceledrome and go through the rubble, just to eliminate it as a possibility."

Monkey nodded, and then went back to the sweeper, informing the other drivers of the plan, and they moved out for the smoldering ruins of the Acceledrome. Once they got there, they separated into groups; Mel, Shirako and the Wylde brothers going one way, Nolo, Karma and Tork going another, Lani going in yet another direction with Porkchop and Taro, and Dr. Tezla staying back at Nitrium. Monkey went in by himself.

This was weird. Monkey hadn't really paid the Teku much attention until the end of the adventure; they were, after all, on opposite teams. But something had him really spooked about Vert. He couldn't put his finger on it as he sniffed the air in the back corner near Tezla's burnt out lab, until something caught his attention. He still wasn't sure what it was, but Monkey definitely recognized a certain smell. It wasn't something he had smelled recently, but it was fresh and not charred, meaning it was post-explosion.

And then he found it; a SHIELD access card. Agents had been there.

Making sure no one saw him, Monkey ran in the opposite direction of the Teku and Maniacs, and he found exactly what he expected. There was an F-16 fighter jet waiting for him, and the pilot asked for him by name. Someone wanted to see him, but why?

They landed at a base fifteen minutes later, and he got his answers soon enough.

* * *

A/N: Ok, Halo, I'm so sorry! I know I said it would be extra long, but it was _too_ long. I couldn't post it. I really hope you like this, even if it is a bit of a teaser. See ya!


	18. Do As I say, Not As I Do

A/N: Okay, we're winding down, now. I promise it won't be much longer. Hurry up and read this, though. I've got something important to tell you at the bottom of the page.

* * *

Wylde stumbled over the debris, sulking as he nursed the small but nasty bruise forming on his shoulder. He kept demanding he was innocent but it all reminded him of his last arrest; she just wasn't listening to him. 

"C'mon, honey, I thought you knew!" he protested, but Mel snubbed right past him, sniffing the air.

"It wasn't exactly breezy back there. The least you could've done was respectfully mention that I was on display."

Kurt and Shirako quietly laughed at this last comment, but Wylde was still trying to redeem himself.

"And anyway, that's not the issue here. We can deal with our own problems later, but right now, we need to find Vert," she said, and stepped over a piece of smoldering metal. She ignored Wylde, sniffing the air as she slowly made her way around what used to be the Nitrox storage area directly beneath the portal.

Shirako shook his head. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find Vert."

"…By sniffing for him?"

"Super senses," she answered, he eyes turning halfway orange as she scanned the ashes for any trace of the blonde Teku or his car. "Enhanced hearing, sight and smell."

"How enhanced we talking, here?" the Asian inquired, examining a melted Nitrox tank.

"Ten times better than any hound dog. If Vert was here, the nose will know."

The elder Wylde brother smirked. "So what's your nose telling you right now, Princess?"

"Right now, Kurt, it's saying no one was here. I know from personal experience what burnt flesh smells like, and I think Vert made it out. But my gut's telling me something's very wrong."

By now, she had practically forgotten her anger at Markie; too much was going on all at once. The group made its way to the still smoking ruins of the kitchen, where they met up with all the rest; Lani, Karma, Porkchop, Taro, Nolo and Tork were waiting for them there. Lani nervously spoke up.

"Where's Monkey?"

"Don't worry about him," Mel assured her. "He can handle himself."

"Ya'll find anything?"

Tork and Nolo looked at each other, and in spite of the serious situation, laughed at having said the same thing at the same time. Taro and Porkchop shook their heads.

"Nothing. Mel, how 'bout you?"

"Nothing, but that's a good thing. I think he made it out."

"Right," Kurt said, taking charge. "We've got a driver out there, folks; let's go find him!"

The reformed group started to walk back to Nitrium and the Sweeper, but Mel fell behind. She sniffed the air, then again, more frantically. She knew that smell. The teenage mutant took a sharp left turn, walking briskly, then started tossing objects out of her path. _He_ was here. If _he'd_ been there, things had taken a turn for the worse. _They_ were involved.

"Kitten?" he called, following after her. "Kitten, what's wrong?"

The dust was blown in opposing spirals, but she could still see boot prints leading up to the area. This was very bad. "I found something," she said, turning to him, and broke into a run. She had something in her hands, but Wylde couldn't see.

* * *

They still had no idea what happened to Vert, but they were more optimistic. At least he hadn't been killed in the blast. He was still out there somewhere. The whole group, minus Wylde and the McClurg siblings, was discussing their next move, when Mel came up to them, saying that she found something. 

It appeared to be some sort of high security ID. "What the hell is SHIELD doing here?!" she demanded, marching right up to Dr. Tezla. "What could possibly have been such a threat to national security that Colonel Fury had to come here personally?! What's going on, Doc?!"

Wylde looked at her confusedly. "Colonel who?"

"Colonel Nick Fury. He's the head of the national spy organization SHIELD. It stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate. They're military; mostly they deal with mutant extremists, but they get the occasional human terrorist and foreign spy. Human or mutant, the guys they go after are usually either trying to kill a lot of people, take over the world, or both."

Tezla nervously giggled as he sank against the side of his car and looked away. After receiving some rather wicked stares, he sighed.

"Okay, confession time," he said, taking a seat on a nearby rock. "Have I got a story for you…"

* * *

Monkey stepped over the threshold; how he hadn't seen it coming was beyond him. Before him, smirking maliciously was Colonel Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD, and Monkey was not at all pleased to see him. 

Nick Fury was a human cancer; once he showed up, you did what ever it took to get rid of him, and prayed like hell he never came back. If Fury was here now, then the Maniac mechanic definitely had a long day ahead of him. Monkey snickered, sitting down at the table in what appeared to be an interrogation room.

"Hello," he said, "Uncle Nick."

Fury smirked a little broader. "Mitchy. How ya doin', kiddo?"

"Cut the crap, man. Why am I here?"

"Ever the impatient little Monkey," he said, pulling a manila folder from inside his trench coat. It flopped open on the table, and Monkey saw a picture of a middle aged man who looked an awful lot like Vert. "Major Jack Wheeler. Head driver for the Silencerz."

Monkey's jaw practically hit the floor. All this time, their rivals in the realms had been led by Vert's father. "Damn. I didn't see that coming. So, what do you want me to do? I've got things to do, ya know; a friend's gone missing, and—"

Fury rolled his eyes. "Would you shut up and read the damn file? Fine, I'll tell you what's going on. I swear, if you weren't Mauler's boy…"

He grumbled about disrespectful and impatient brats, spreading out the contents of the folder. There was also a high school photo of Vert and another picture of an older man with a vicious look in his eyes.

"The Silencerz were a subdivision of SHIELD. They started out as a think tank to develop new science from alien technology retrieved at a crash site outside of Roswell, New Mexico, but then certain older artifacts were discovered: the Racing Drones and portals to the plains of existence referred to as the realms. Dr. Tezla used to work for us, too, and he was the one who first figured out what the realms were for, and he advised SHIELD to gather US Military personnel to race the drones. When they refused to approve his budget, he left, taking some of our most advanced technology. It was only after the first realm races that the Silencerz were actually formed."

"And Major Wheeler was picked to head the team?" Monkey asked, incredulously.

"That's right," Fury continued. "Only problem is, with a group of geniuses like these, there's bound to be a few crazies, and the kind of power all this alien technology offers comes with a lot of temptation to boot. After Tezla left, we got Stryker to take his place—

He paused here, indicating the picture of the older man.

"-but he don't got the kinda moral scruples Tezla had. Which brings us to why you've been brought here. The Silncerz have seceded from SHIELD. Stryker, the new head of scientific advances, wants to use technology adapted from the Accelerons to take over the world."

"Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense," Monkey muttered, but Fury ignored him and continued.

"The rebel Silencerz have already overtaken the base where their lab is located. Major Wheeler's been our man on the inside at the base, but Stryker never trusted him, and now that the realms are over, he's disposable."

Monkey took a deep breath, trying to look bored by what the Colonel was saying. "Look, Fury, I really got no idea what this has to do with me—"

Fury pushed the picture of Vert forward. "You didn't let me finish, kid. The Silencerz have captured Vert; that's why you couldn't find him in the desert earlier. But they won't have him much longer, because _you're_ going to get him, _and_ his father, out of there."

"What?!" he said. "Me?! Hey, no offense, man, but me? That's—that's just insane! I'm—"

"The perfect killing machine," Fury said, grinning.

"NO! I won't do it!" he said, breathing heavily. Even _he_ had standards. True, the Maniac mechanic had come close with Wylde, but that was personal; he didn't know these people! They hadn't done anything to him! "I absolutely refuse! I'm not going in! Vert's a smart kid; I'm sure he can find his own way out."

"Relax, Monkey; these are some of the greatest scientific minds of our planet. They wouldn't be any use to us dead. This is a bloodless rescue mission."

"I-I-I don't care! I won't have any part of this!!"

The Colonel sighed, pulling out more files and placing them in front of Monkey. They were filled with evidence against the Metal Maniacs.

"Y'know, with everything your buddies have been up to, we got enough to put them away for life. And God forbid some horrible paperwork error occurred, and they all ended up in separate prisons," he said, pausing for effect, and then smirked; God, how Monkey hated that smirk. "On separate _continents…"_

Monkey glared up at him, baring his fangs. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," he said. Through his sneer, Fury was all business. "Your partners in the mission are waiting in the hall. I'm sure you'll be oh-so-pleasantly surprised to learn their identities."

* * *

Monkey let out a little roar, slamming the door behind him as he left, turning around. The _nerve_ of that guy! Pulling him away from his friends and compatriots to force him onto some _mission_, which he shouldn't even _be_ on in the _first_ place; the only military training Monkey had was from the three days in the Weapon X program, and that was _years_ ago, not to mention _against his will._ How did they expect him to— 

And then he saw them, standing right there, and it all began to make a little more sense.

"Top o' the mornin', Mitch!" he said, clapping his son on the back. "It's been too long, son, really, it 'as." Agent Dennis Liam McClurg, a native of war torn Belfast, Ireland, was a tall, burly man with blondish red hair, warm brown eyes and an insane number of freckles. His wife always said that that was okay, though, because everything about him was insane. Dennis had joined a terrorist group, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, shortly after his older brother was killed by a Protestant, and was a demolitions expert by the time he was nineteen. Recognizing both his genius and the threat he posed as an enemy, SHIELD had offered him American citizenship in 1979 in exchange for blowing up several Soviet bases. His expertise with explosives and as a fighter pilot was how he earned the nickname 'the Menace.' He stood a good six-foot-four and wore a bullet proof vest with pockets for his tools of the trade.

"Da?! What—"

He had no time to answer, as another redheaded figure embraced him from behind. "OH, Mitchell!!" she said, and he turned around, hugging her back and laughing. Sergeant Shannon 'Mauler' McClurg was a relatively average height for a woman at five-foot-five, but she more than made up for it with her tenacity, leadership skills and mutation. Like her son and daughter, she had a healing factor and enhanced senses. Formerly of the NYPD, she had used her powers to single handedly defeat Victor Von Doom when he made the mistake of coming to Jersey City years before, and demanded respect from her soldiers. She and Dennis had met while she served as his bodyguard in the USSR.

"Confused?" Dennis asked, and his son nodded. "Well, you know how it goes, boyo. When things get bad—and, lemme tell ye, boyo, they've gotten real bad—they like to bring in as few people as possible so's they can control any info leaks. You were already involved, and they figgered they wouldn't be tellin' ye much more than ye already suspected. And your mother an' I—"

"Well, we were just an obvious choice," Shannon interjected. "They wanted the joint cleaned up, and if we hadn't done just that back in the Kremlin, you'd be speaking Russian right now."

Monkey nodded; some of what they said made sense. It was just that there were still some missing pieces to the puzzle. "I thought you guys were retired operatives. What happened to 'avoiding crazy costumed freaks?' You said you weren't with SHIELD anymore!"

Dennis gave a hearty laugh, but even then, his thick accent shone through. "Yeah, we got back in 'bout a year ago."

"And you didn't think to tell me?!"

"You never asked," his mother said, shrugging. "Besides, Mitchell, you don't live with us anymore, and it's not like you ever call…"

The McClurg men shared a look; it was going to be one of _those_ conversations. Monkey's mother went into a tirade about how she worried about her son as they walked to the hangar, Dennis giving him a sympathetic smile.

* * *

A/N: And that's how I've decided to work in his and Mel's parents. They're secret agents. But that's not important right now. On Monday, May 21st, I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out, so I will not be updating until at least next Thursday or Friday. You see, I am abnormally sensitve to pain medication, so I'll be comatose for all intents and purposes, if I even live through it. If anything should happen to me, ShimoAneue will notify you. She goes to my school. Wish me luck! 


	19. Monkeybusiness

A/N: FUN FACT!! The guy who does Monkey's voice, Andrew Duncan, also **directed** the AcceleRacers films! He wrote most of Breaking Point, too, and as for past projects, he directed the TV series, Reboot! I used to love that show... Speaking of which, the lady who voices Gelorum was Dot Matrix on that show!

* * *

"All right, listen up," she barked out to her troops. "This is gonna be a tough one. We're on our way to the Silencerz base, located in the legendary Area 51. The Silencerz are a group comprised mostly of eggheads; they're almost all research and development, but they have a large number of guards and a few of the drivers are weapons experts, so watch yourselves. This is supposed to be a bloodless 'capture the flag' mission, so take them alive and unharmed if at all possible, but you never know what Einsteins like this have laying around. If you feel at all threatened, do not, do NOT, hesitate to take them down. Safeties off, let 'em rip. You better fire at will when the time comes, because, so help me, I am NOT in the mood to regretfully inform your pretty little wives. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" 

"Yes, Sergeant McClurg," the soldiers answered loudly. It was amazing, really; Shannon had always had these two sides to her. She was so maternal and sweet, but she would never give an inch to an enemy combatant. Monkey figured it must have run in the family.

"I said CAN YOU DIG IT?!?"

"YES, MAULER!!"

The troops used her mutant codename when she got like this. Shannon was a born leader; she'd risen pretty quickly through the ranks in the New York Police Department, before they discovered she was a mutant and she was fired. That was when SHIELD contacted her. They knew she needed new direction in life, and that her skills would be of great use to them.

Dennis tossed his son a grin from the pilot's seat; he knew the first mission was always difficult, but maybe they'd get closer after this. Maybe he'd work for SHIELD just like his folks. But if Monkey knew what his father was thinking, he would've responded 'maybe when pigs fly.' Government organizations like SHIELD could be ruthless, even when they had the best intentions, and he wanted no part of it. He was only there for Vert.

The jet they were in was nearly silent, and their cloaking technology ensured that even the Silencerz wouldn't see them coming until it was too late. Even the more…_unique_ passengers could barely hear the engines. Shannon didn't even have to raise her voice to brief her soldiers; she did it anyway, but didn't have to.

Monkey barely listened to his instructions, figuring that with a healing factor, he could wing it, but he had no idea what was in store for him at Area 51.

* * *

"—And that's how it happened," Dr. Tezla finished, sighing. A few of them nodded, but Wylde eyed him suspiciously. 

"Why didn't you tell us about Vert's dad?"

"I thought Vert was spying for them," he confessed, ashamed. "If I told you or confronted him, I thought he'd tell the Major. If they knew I knew they were spying, or if the reports they were getting suddenly stopped, the Silencerz would've just busted in. I went to all that trouble, and it turned out the Gig was the spy; Vert still might've known, but I think he was as in the dark as the rest of us."

Wylde still wasn't convinced. "I dunno…you sure you ain't a terrorist?"

"Yes I'm sure I'm not a terrorist!!" he cried out indignantly. Mel rolled her eyes, but she nodded.

"The Silencerz being a part of SHIELD does explain a lot," she said; "I thought their operations were familiar, but if they had a general agent pick Monkey up, then something went wrong. I'm not worried about him; Monkey can handle himself, but it all just seems so suspicious…"

"So we're back where we started, then," Kurt said. "And the question at hand is what happened to Vert?"

"If he'd gotten out by the EDR, he would've ended up here with Sparky," Mel said, pointing a thumb at her 'nephew.'

"Hello," he just happened to say, sparking and twitching. He almost looked lonely without his creator by his side.

"The Silencerz may have him," Dr. Tezla admitted sadly, shaking his head. "Or else, the drones. I'm responsible for this; I should've told you all from the very beginning. We have to find him before—"

"No."

They looked at Mel strangely, and she elaborated. "SHIELD took Monkey for a reason, okay? He's a very powerful mutant, and he was already involved. That means, whatever went wrong, they sent him to fix it. I hate to say it, but this is out of our league. We have to leave this to the agents."

Tezla took the ID card she'd found earlier, and raised an eyebrow, suddenly upset. "Who the heck is Charlie Fritz?! I thought you said Nick Fury was here!!"

"He was."

"But this isn't his card—"

"Of course it's not! Do you think the director of SHIELD would be dumb enough to leave something like that behind?"

He turned to her, fuming. "Then how do you _know_ he was here?!"

Shirako raised a hand. "Dude, she's a mutant with enhanced senses. She smelled him."

"And how, pray tell, would you know what Colonel Nicholas Fury _smells_ like?"

"He's my Godfather."

They stared at her in shock.

* * *

Vert Wheeler sat in the corner of his cell at the Silencerz base of operations, the famed Area 51. It was terribly ironic, really; he'd always believed in aliens and wanted to come here some day. He gave a bitter laugh as the guards taunted him. 

"Oh, look at the poor little Major's son," one of them said. "Hahah. You know, we're going to execute you at dawn."

His friends laughed, and the last one told the others with a smile that he was going to patrol the halls.

Vert backed further into the corner so they wouldn't see him cry. Thankfully, he didn't know that that was exactly where he needed to be or why, or he would've been even more panicked.

The first guard, Tom, laughed again, but there was a cry for help and three gunshots, followed by the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the floor. The two remaining guards snapped to attention, exchanging hand signals, and the first guard led the other.

"Spike, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," answered a voice, but it didn't sound like Spike. The voice sounded like someone with a high voice was trying to make his voice sound really deep. Tom and his partner raised their rifles and nodded to each other, stepping cautiously down the hall.

"But, jeez, man, you should see this mutie freak I just shot!"

They froze, and Jerry called back. "Mutie?"

"Yeah, he's got these huge friggin claws comin outta his hands. Check it out!"

Tom and Jerry relaxed; Spike only sounded strange because he was scared. They smirked and walked down the hall, joking around.

Back in his cell, Vert recognized the description of the fallen one. Monkey'd come here to rescue him? What if the others were there? There was no way they could—

Shots rang out, and Tom screamed at Jerry to watch his aim. Jerry, on the other hand, screamed some rather vicious racial slurs against mutants. The shots cut off suddenly with a snarl and the eerie sound of metal slicing metal, then the two guards were knocked against something. At least that's what it sounded like; it was all happening around that blasted corner.

The blonde was standing now, clutching the bars that kept him in and craning his neck to try and see what was going on, when Monkey finally rounded the corner. The Maniac mechanic had a nasty scratch on his cheek and gunshot wounds, but they promptly healed. His skin was immaculate, save for a few red droplets that remained, and there were two small, perfectly round holes in his shirt, edged in red. He flashed the metal horns, winked, and motioned for Vert to step back.

With a couple quick swipes, the bars fell, and Vert stepped out to freedom, but not safety.

"Do you know where they're holding your dad?"

"How do you—" he started, but Bert shook his head. It didn't matter. "They said to put us on opposite ends of the cell block. That's all I heard."

Vert stopped dead in his tracks as they rounded the corner, looking at the guards; they were all unconscious, bound and gagged, but he could see their chests rise and fall with each breath. They were alive. Monkey stomped on their communicators and ear pieces to buy some time, and handed to Vert a 9-mm pistol he'd taken from Tom's holster, along with extra ammunition.

"What the hell is this for?!"

"Hey, there's safety in numbers, Blondie, and numbers ain't what we got. There's just the two of us right now. Team Plaid won't swarm the base 'til you and the Major are outta harm's way."

"But I've never fired a gun before."

"Hopefully, you won't have to," he sighed. "I'll lead. Stay low."

Vert followed Monkey as the redhead backtracked through corridors, stepping over beaten and bruised men along the way. Quietly, Monkey revealed that it was the second time in eighteen hours he was reluctantly invading enemy territory as the first wave.

The plan was to send Monkey in through a secret entrance on the south side. After that, he was supposed to sneak around, incapacitating every guard who got in his way, until he could sniff Vert out, at which point, he would free him and start the search for the Major. Once he gave the word, Shannon and her troops would storm the living quarters, rounding up the rogue scientists, and Dennis would hack into the system. His orders were to delete all data on the Accelerons and scramble the hard drive, before setting charges and finally detonating the base.

If all went well, Area 51 was scheduled for demolition. But right now, the focus was to find Major Wheeler.

* * *

A/N: The "metal horns," by the way, are the same as the "devil horn salute" and the maloich (ma-LOYK). You close your middle and ring finger, closing your thumb over it, and hold up the index and pinkie fingers. It was used in ancient times to protect one from the evil eye, but now it's international sign language for "Rock on." I think there's maybe one chapter left, two at most. 


	20. JAILBREAK!

A/N: This one took a while, but it was worth it. I had to watch all my old X-MEN: Evolution DVDs to get the fight scenes right.

* * *

Monkey put out his hand, silently holding Vert back; they had located the area where the Major was being held. The guards here were being generally cruel and disrespectful as they had with Vert, but Jack was angered by it. He smiled evilly at them, muttering threats under his breath. One guard shot off one round, missing the Major's head by mere inches, and he grew silent.

Vert was enraged; how _dare_ they treat his father that way. He had to get him out of there before it was too late. The pistol in his hand was already cocked, and he tried to think back to the evenings he spent in the arcade when it was too cold to skate or surf.

Suddenly, Monkey was aware of the blonde's raised arm, taking aim at a soldier, and grabbed him just as he fired. The shot ricocheted off a bar of the cell door, and grazed a guard's arm only slightly. He yelled, and his partners raised their voices and M-16s in confusion.

"What'd ya do that for? I coulda had him!"

"Just run, you idiot!"

The guards had followed the sound of the shot, attacking the pair, and Monkey unsheathed his claws. He sliced their weapons to ribbons of steel before retracting them once more, and then he lunged with his bare hands. It wasn't easy; there were more this time. Vert ran back towards his father's cell, but one of the guards followed him.

"What do ya think you're doin' here, kid?!" the guard yelled, taking a swing at the boy, but Vert dodged it, and Major Jack Wheeler reached through the bars, grabbing the soldier's shirt collar. He pulled him back sharply and put he guard into a sleeper hold, twisting and tightening until he heard a pop, and shoved his unconscious form away with hatred. By now, Monkey had taken care of the rest of them and all was quiet.

"Vert!" he cried, embracing his son through the bars; in all the excitement, the Major hadn't noticed who his saviors were. "You're okay! Oh, thank God…"

"Dad…"

"Look, this is cute and all," Monkey said, annoyed. "But why don't you lemme get your Dad outta there, and we'll continue this later. I've already sent the message to Team Plaid; Menace and her troops should be here any moment."

He motioned for them to both take a step back, and sliced the bars, allowing the Major to walk out freely. After the Wheelers hugged again, Monkey flicked the younger one's ear.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"I told you only to use that as a last resort defense. What if you had killed that guy, Vert? Would you be able to live with yourself?"

"Who do you think you're talking to, mutie?" the Major said, stepping between the two. "Keep your filthy hands off my son."

"Oh, don't you start in on me, too," Monkey snarled. He was _really_ beginning to lose his patience. "Colonel Fury himself went to a lot of trouble to get me to rescue your sorry asses. I sacrificed my time and energy to get you out of here alive. If it weren't for me, you'd still be in that cell, so shut your trap and follow my lead. That's an order, _soldier_."

He growled at the older man, his eyes flashing black with white slits for pupils. It was a page from his mother's playbook, and, really, he was only bluffing, but it worked all the same. Major Wheeler backed off, but he wasn't happy about taking orders from some young kid, especially a mutant.

Monkey nodded. "Right. There's an entrance on the south end, but that's where the cavalry's arriving. We need to go out through the main door. I know you don't trust me, but you know this place better than I do, so I'm gonna need your cooperation. It won't be easy, but I can get you out of here."

He really wasn't sure, but he had always been an obedient soldier. "If Colonel Fury trusts you," he said, "then okay. You've got my attention."

* * *

"Artful Dodger to Magic Man," he heard over the line. "The Trojans are asleep."

"Roger, Dodger; beware Greeks bearing gifts." With that, Dennis turned to his wife, giving her a playful wink, and told her the troops could head out.

"You heard the man! Let's _move!_ MOVE! MOVE!"

Already standing at attention, their engines idling, the unit's transport moved inside the perimeter to the southern extent of the base. It was time to go in for the kill.

* * *

"Your folks work that closely with him?" Wylde asked in disbelief. He was seriously rethinking his relationship with Mel. The McClurg family was just insane; her super-mutant brother and mother, an ex-terrorist father, a secret military bigwig Godfather, and at least two costumed superheroes were regular fixtures at family functions, according to Mel.

Lani, too, was unsure if she was ready to get involved in something like that. She shook her head. "Wow. That's a lot to deal with when you're growing up."

"Yeah, but we were the only kids who ever got personal visits from the Avengers on our birthdays. I've got this priceless little photo of Captain America and the Wolverine congratulating Monkey after his graduation…"

As the girls blabbered on, Karma rolled her eyes. She was sitting next to Taro, and they looked at each other, but only for just a moment.

"I feel so useless, just sitting here," she said, and he nodded. "So, if we're not going to help Vert, what should we do?"

"Lunch?" he questioned, shrugging his shoulders.

Karma smiled. "Ever a man of few words, but at least it's a good idea."

The pair shared a smile and interrupted the inane chatter to make the suggestion, but Lani and some of the Teku were unsure.

"What about Monkey and Vert? We don't know where they are. What if they come back to find us, and we're not here?"

"Yeah, man," Nolo agreed with her. "We gotta think about them, too. I don't know if we should leave."

Mel spoke up. "Well, we could just send someone for takeout."

This got everyone talking at once, and only submissions from Porkchop, Tork and Shirako could be heard.

"Oh! Let's get Chinese!"

"Naw, man, Mexican!"

"There's a rib joint just down the road—"

"For crying out loud," he said, whipping out his cell phone and dialing. Obviously, this was going to take a while, and Kurt was not in the mood. "Yeah, Richie, it's me. One large with everything on it, one large Hawaiian with extra cheese, one large meat lover's, four liters of Coke, two liters Sprite, and fifty hot wings…Medium, but could you throw in a bottle of that extra spicy Atomic Wing Sauce you get from Buffalo? Twenty minutes? Yeah, thanks, see ya then. Bye."

Hearing this conversation, Tork grumbled that he'd wanted Mexican, but at least the wings would be hot. With a wave, Kurt and Shirako got into Nitrium and left.

Nolo was upset; how could they think about their stomachs at a time like this?! He understood with Tork, who had been held captive for over a week, kept alive by God only knows what, but the others?

"Hey Mel," he said, waving to get the mutant's attention. "Yo, you sure Vert made it out?"

She nodded. "If he got caught in the blast, there would've been some shrapnel from Reverb around. Besides, what was the point of hitting the EDR if they were still in the Acceledrome?"

He looked at his feet, leaning back against a rock. "I guess…You wanna take another look, just to be safe?"

Mel tried to look sympathetic, but Nolo got the distinct impression she was annoyed with him. "If it'll make you feel better."

* * *

Really, how stupid did they think he was? Oh well; at least they wouldn't be expecting him. Dr. William Stryker leaned back in his swivel chair, running a hand through his wild hair; he'd have to pull out all the stops on this one. Leaning forward again, he typed in some commands on his keyboard, and started up automatic attack systems he had in the hallways. None of the other Silencerz knew about his security measures, which rivaled those of the Xavier School, so even if some were captured and talked, he still had the element of surprise. Smirking viciously, he clicked the mouse a few times and went back to the live feed from the security cameras.

"Come out and play," he hissed. Oh, this was going to be interesting.

* * *

The charges were set; all that kept Dennis waiting was the signal from his wife. She was the highest ranking agent here, so she was in charge.

"Magic Man to Red Hot Mama, an eerie silence settles over the landscape."

"Roger, Magic Man," she said into her communicator, dropkicking a soldier who tried to shoot one of her men. The troops were in the garage now, fighting the few who refused to surrender. She passed information about the Wheelers, using codewords in case someone was listening. "Ram and Lamb are sprung from the brig! Proceed to stage three!"

Dennis cracked his knuckles. Everyone always thought he was just the guy they got to blow things up, but he had to be a creative mechanic in order to take care of the bombs, and he was also an extremely talented hacker. This was a place where he secretly got to shine.

Going to work, he started copying files onto a flash drive, encrypting and deleting the originals, but Dennis soon discovered a set of commands he couldn't reverse. It was some sort of security system, somewhere in the subbasement. Apparently there was another control room besides the one he was in.

* * *

Damn it all! They were ruining everything! All of that research, gone in minutes…

"It doesn't matter," Stryker muttered angrily, pacing back and forth. "The Major won't make it out alive. As long as that goes my way, I still win."

He went back to his keyboard.

* * *

"Monkey, turn back, _NOW!_ The hall you're in is set with automated weapons systems! Go back the other way! HURRY!!"

A look of panic washed over Monkey, and Vert and the Major looked at him questioningly. He turned the other way and they followed, but a metal plate slammed down, blocking off their escape. He swiped at it with his claws, but they didn't even make a scratch.

"Oh crap."

"What's going on?" Major Wheeler asked.

"It's adamantium. We're stuck in here!" He looked around, claws at the ready, and his eyes widened in dread as several small laser cannons came from hidden panels in the walls. "Hit the deck!!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Vert called, diving to the floor, and Monkey had to take a shot to the chest for Jack; the Major wasn't quick enough, and Monkey saved his life. The shot only fazed him and he charged, slicing the cannons to pieces, only to have to dodge spinning saw blades. Thankfully, his claws were working on these; their adamantium budget must have run out.

After a good ten minutes, the path was clear, and Monkey's shirt and vest were now decorated with some mean cuts edged in garish red and big burn marks from where he couldn't avoid the traps.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, helping Vert up from the floor.

The blonde was shaken, but no worse for wear. "Y-yeah, I think so..."

"How 'bout you, Major?"

"Fine," he answered gruffly, and they got on their way.

* * *

A/N: LASER CANNONS AND SPINNING SAW BLADES!!!! I love laser cannons and spinning saw blades. They are mucho awesome. Poor Monkey keeps getting shot...He can't be killed by conventional weapons, so it shouldn't be a big deal, but he still _hates_ it terribly. 


	21. Standoff

A/N: I couldn't finish it. I tried, but I just couldn't finish it. I...I...the next one, okay? It'll be a sort of epilogue, I guess. I need a siesta...

* * *

"Report! Report, Artful Dodger! Damn it, Monkey, answer me!!" 

He answered, "Roger that, Magic Man. We're okay, but we're mice in a maze here. Any options you can see?"

Dennis pulled up the schematics, checking for alternate routes, but they were all obstructed. "Negative. All corridors are blocked off."

"Well, that's just great," Vert muttered. In one day, he'd been drugged, threatened, held at gunpoint, kidnapped, rescued, and now he was trapped like a rat.

"The only way for ye to go is to the auxiliary control room in the subbasement."

"Auxilary control room?"

"Someone's in there settin' the automated weapon systems and I can't override the commands. Whoever it is, they want you to come to them, and there's nothin' we can do about it."

Monkey nodded and moved forward, keeping his claws out as he walked. The Wheelers followed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jack asked impatiently.

"We got no other choice, Major; we're gonna run the gauntlet."

"But that's exactly what—You idiot! We're being baited! Can't you see this is a trap?!"

"You gotta give the people what they want, he said. "He wants a war, we'll give him a war."

He didn't want to, but the Major agreed; this madman needed to be stopped.

* * *

"No, no, no!" Stryker cried indignantly. "Why won't you die?!" 

Things were not looking good for Dr. William Stryker. The mysterious redhead with the claws was on his way, and leading the Wheelers right to him. Naturally, the father and son would want revenge on Stryker, and he didn't even want to think about what that freak could do.

Still, something in his memory stirred; was he perhaps the legendary Wolverine of the X-Men? His heart caught in his chest. What was it the article in Time Magazine had said? That he couldn't be killed by conventional means? That his claws and bones were plated in an indestructible metal?

Then he remembered that Wolverine was only five-foot-three; this lanky kid was a cheap imitation. Though the claws certainly fit the bill…

He shook himself, refusing to give up. "I don't care, I don't care, I don't care," he said, though it was more to convince himself than anything. "I don't know who you are. You don't matter. All I have to do is keep you busy enough so that you can't protect them. After that, I don't care."

* * *

"Any sign?" 

"Nothing," she said, the worried look on Nolo's face tearing at her heart. "But that's good, okay? He wasn't here, he made it out. Vert's alive."

Nolo didn't answer her, but he gave her a weak smile. Mel put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't give up hope. He's out there.

* * *

"You know, Kurt, I used to worry about what Karma, Nolo, and Vert would think about…us…" 

Kurt cast his younger boyfriend a quick glance, concerned. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Shirako answered. A box of chicken wings and a bottle of hot sauce rested in his lap. "But after awhile, I realized, so what? If they didn't accept us for who we are, then they weren't really our friends in the first place. Why hang out with people like that? You're the only one who matters to me, Kurt."

His eyes practically twinkled. "Aww, Shi-kun, that's so sweet," he said.

Shirako smiled at him, slipping his hand into the older boy's. "But everything turned out alright in the end. They're cool with it, Kurt; we got out our fairytale ending. I just hope Vert's okay…"

"I'm sure wherever he is, he'll be fine."

Shirako kissed him on the cheek, and they continued towards the patch of desert where the others were waiting.

* * *

They made another turn, only to find one more adamantium door blocking off the path. Annoyed, the three doubled back and continued down the clear way. They all knew they were being led into a trap; Vert and the Major worried about each other, as well as themselves, but Monkey's only concern was how he was going to keep them out of harm's way and still fight off whatever Stryker had in store for them. 

"This is stupid," Vert said. "This guy's trying to kill us! Why are we going right to him?"

"I told you, we don't have a choice," Monkey answered. "I can't make a door because the walls are adamantium and every time we make some progress—"

As if on cue, another door slammed down behind them, promising they wouldn't make it out the way they came. Monkey sighed, unsheathing his claws, preparing to fight again. More laser cannons, and more spinning saw blades, Vert and the Major stayed low, and Monkey got the rhythm right very quickly. This time, it only took him seven minutes to take down the security. Catching his breath as the Wheelers got off the floor, he punched the wall.

"This guy is seriously starting to tick me off," he said.

"It's that bastard Stryker," the Major answered. "If anyone has control of systems like this, it's him. What say we wrap this up?"

Monkey smirked. "Fine by me."

* * *

"Crap," he said, listening to the audio from the bugs in the hall. This was very very bad. Grabbing a machine gun he kept under his desk, Stryker fished a keypass out of his pocket and headed to the far side of the lab. He spoke in a reassuring but firm voice as he opened the crate. 

"This is it, Duke," he said to the obedient Doberman that gazed intently up at him. "You be a good boy and protect your master. There will be some men coming to get us, but we're not going down without a fight. Right?"

Duke barked, as if answering Stryker, and they prepared.

* * *

Monkey, Vert, and Major Jack stepped towards the final door; they'd had to out maneuver more laser cannons and spinning saw blades than you could shake a stick at, and they weren't at all happy about it. Who could blame them? In any case, it had been a long day and they badly needed something to take out all their anger on. Or, more to the point, some_one…_

"We're here," Monkey whispered; this was definitely it. All they had to do now was get in.

"Dude, knock and say you're the pizza guy," Vert joked, but Monkey took him seriously.

"How blonde are you? He's not gonna fall for that!"

The two quarreled, and Major Wheeler rolled his eyes, taking a keypass from his pocket; he'd grabbed it from an unconscious guard, along with a Desert Eagle and extra ammunition. The Major slid the pass through the reader and punched in his passcode on the keypad, and the door opened.

Behind a corner of the control room, Stryker clicked the safety on his M-16 into the off position, and peered discreetly around the wall. Monkey sniffed the air, his ears twitching, and he knocked the Wheelers to the ground, taking five bullets to the chest. He fell to his knees, and Stryker took that opportunity to release his hound.

"Sick 'em, Duke!"

Duke the Doberman charged at Monkey, barking and snarling, and Monkey held it back by its studded collar, growling right back. He rolled with it on the ground, knowing that it was just a dog and not wanting to hurt it too badly. The smell of the blood on his shirt aggravated the Doberman even further, and he certainly was a vicious little thing.

A few yards to his left, Jack and Vert were holed up behind an upturned desk, exchanging fire with Stryker. Fortunately, all furniture on the base was designed to be bullet proof just in case of this type of situation. The repeating rat-a-tat-tat of Stryker's M-16 rang out through the control room, Vert and Major Jack staying low, only peeking their heads up just enough to aim their pistols at him.

"Conserve ammo if you can, son!" the Major yelled to his son over the gunfire. "He's panicked now! If we keep him going long enough he might run out of bullets!"

Vert nodded, it was good advice, but the Major stood up to far and a bullet grazed the area of muscle between his neck and shoulder. It only just grazed the outside, but he reeled back, hitting the ground and hissing from the pain.

"DAD!!"

Oh, no, now he really screwed up. Monkey threw the dog off of himself, and it hit the wall with a yelp, growling as it staggered to its feet, and he extended his claws and snarled back at it. Duke stopped growling, staring at Monkey in confusion, looked back to his master, and then to Monkey again.

"That's right, think about it," he snarled. "Do I look like somethin' you wanna mess with?"

The dog's head and shoulders sunk in shame, as if he knew he had done something stupid, and he stalked back to his crate with his tail between his legs. Monkey smirked; at least the dog knew better.

"Dad!" he said, trying not to cry. "Dad, please answer me!"

"AH! Don't touch that!" the Major hissed, putting a hand over his wound. "I'm fine, it only grazed me."

"Are you sure?"

Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry, son, I've been hit way worse than this. Just take him down. We can't let Stryker win."

Vert nodded, reloading the Desert Eagle he'd been handed just a few hours before, and keeping silent.

Why had they stopped shooting? Had he killed them? Cautiously, Stryker peered around his corner, but he didn't see a single blonde hair sticking up over the desk. He laughed, standing up, and carefully stepped out from behind the corner.

Seeing his opportunity, Vert shot the crazed doctor in his left leg, and he fell to the floor with a scream. Even if he hadn't been in too much pain to fight back, Stryker wouldn't have been able to reach his gun. The fight was over.

"Aw, jeez, Blondie, you shot him," Monkey said, shaking his head, and he sighed.

"Yeah, but I didn't kill him," he said. "Besides, it was self defense! You saw what he was doing. Or were you too busy playing with that damn dog?"

"Would you just shut up?" the Major said, rolling his eyes. The boys stopped fighting, but Stryker kept crying. "You too, you bastard; you deserved a lot worse than that."

Vert helped his father to his feet, and Monkey called his superior officers.

"Yo, Magic Man," he said, cheerily. "Stryker's down, mission accomplished. Any way outta here?"

"There should be an escape tunnel in the back, kiddo. See ya soon."

The door to the tunnel opened, Monkey whistled for the dog, and they made their way out. As they walked down the tunnel, Monkey holding the unconscious Stryker over his shoulder, Vert watched his father for any sign that he was in pain, but found none. Like the Major had said, he'd been hurt worse before, and he was able to keep the pain on the edge of his mind. Major Wheeler gave his son a reassuring smile, but an alarm sounded just as they reached daylight.

"This is SHIELD Agent Dennis Liam McClurg. We regret to inform ye that the prestigious Area 51 is scheduled for demolition. The process will take place in t-minus two minutes, so ye had better get a move on. Thank ye."

This really lit a fire under them, the Maniac mechanic quickly passed off the unconscious Stryker and Duke the Doberman, and they made a run for the jet Monkey had arrived in. Other planes and a few helicopters had arrived to accommodate prisoners and Shannon thought it best to go with the troops, but Monkey and the Wheelers ended up in the original with Monkey's Dad. As they strapped themselves in and prepared for takeoff, a medic attending to Major Wheeler's wound, Dennis made his way up to the cockpit.

"Holy crap! Dennis the Menace?!"

He looked back as he buckled in, and grinned. "Glory be, would ye look at that! They said ye was Jack Wheeler, but tha's just such a common name, I never figgered they meant _you _Jack Rabbit. How ye been, Jacky?"

"I've been worse," he said, noncommittally, introducing his son, and they took off. Jack kept talking, trying to ignore the medic.

After a moment, Dennis said, "Hate te interrupt ye, Jack, but this is important." He paused, turning on the PA system. "The base is about ta detonate! Brace for shockwave, one and all!"

There was a terrible ghastly silence.

There was a terrible ghastly noise.

There was a terrible ghastly silence.

Their jet coasted away into a lovely partly cloudy afternoon.

* * *

A/N: See, I'm so tired I stole some lines from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Like I said, the next one is the last one, I promise; it'll be a pretty uneventful sort of epilogue, but an ending is an ending, and there's always the sequel. Cheers. I'm gonna go take a nap. 


	22. Epilogue

A/N: In the immortal words of Jim Morrison, "THIS IS THE END."

* * *

In the hallway outside Major Wheeler's room, Monkey sat down next to Vert; the blonde boy was very confused, and the older redhead wanted to see if he could help.

"Hey."

Vert looked up. "Hey."

"So…what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing…"

Monkey raised an eyebrow, and Vert sighed.

"But, I just, I…How could he keep this from me, Monkey? National Security, my ass! He couldn't have let me know what I was getting myself into?!"

On the ride from Area 51 to the Army base they were at now, Dennis and Jack had rambled on about an incident in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in which a Protestant Pro-British terrorist group called the Ulster Volunteer Force had kidnapped Jack-Rabbit and held him hostage. Dennis had grown up in Belfast and was in fact an ex-Provo, so SHIELD sent him in to rescue him. Then, after thirteen long years, Dennis' son had been sent to rescue Jack-Rabbit and _his_ son. He was a religious man, Dennis the Menace, and he thought the whole lot of it meant something. Still, at least the story was interesting.

Monkey gave an understanding smile, and lent the boy an ear. He listened to Vert rant for a good fifteen minutes before the blonde finally ran out of things to say, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You feel better, Blondie?" He nodded. "Good. I know what it's like to be in the dark about what your parents are up to and yeah it sucks. It sucks that you don't know where they are, or what they're up to, or if some guy in a uniform is going to bring you a letter with that official seal and say they went down in a blaze of glory. It really sucks. But, hey, they chose that life for themselves; they knew what they were getting themselves into. And the one thing that always kept me going was that I knew I could choose a different path."

Vert smiled at him. "Thanks, man. You…I mean, that really helps."

"Any time," he said cheerily. "You, uh, you wanna go see him?"

"I can't. I just can't right now. Not after all this."

"Hey, we can dig it."

The boys looked up, and standing there were Shannon and Dennis, smiling softly down at them.

"Eh, Mitchie!" Dennis said, clapping the both of them on the back. "Ye did a great job gettin' them out. And you, kiddo, ye got great aim. Ye ever thought about entering a shooting competition?"

Vert laughed, embarrassed. "Uh, no, that was my first time holding a gun, actually…"

"Dennis, now, leave them alone. They've had a rough day." She looked at the blonde Teku in particular with sympathy, and he realized all of a sudden just how much he missed the others right then. Aside from his father, the Teku were the only family Vert had, and he didn't think he could get along without them. He needed them. Trying to hide how lonely he felt, the boy spoke.

"Hey, um, Mr. McClurg? Mrs. McClurg?"

She blinked at him. "Yes, dear?"

"Could I…Could I get a ride back to the Acceledrome? I really should be getting back."

Monkey nodded in agreement; he too was eager to see his sister and fellow Maniacs, not to mention Lani. The quicker they got back, the better. But Dennis and Shannon weren't sure.

"They didn't say he could leave the base, darling…"

"They didn't say he _couldn't_ leave the base, dear…"

"Well, alright," Shannon relented. "But if Nick gets upset, it was your idea."

* * *

The little patch of desert smelled strongly of tomatoes and cheese, as well as lots of hot sauce. Mel had finally forgiven Wylde and the two sat side by side in the dust, cool and breezy under the shadow of the sweeper, sharing some Meat Lover's Pizza. Nolo still wouldn't eat, but he safeguarded a few slices of each of the three pizzas and a pile of chicken wings for when Vert got back. Or if they found Vert; whichever happened first. 

"Where are you?" he whispered, staring into the sky, hoping for an answer.

Well…ask and you shall receive. A large black military plane flew overhead, barely making a sound, and circled around. The engine was so quiet that they only noticed it because of the harsh wind that whipped past them. Mel stood straight up, eyes wide, and grabbed Wylde's hand; she laughed as she pulled him towards where the jet was hovering and preparing to land. He laughed too, but he wasn't sure what he was laughing at.

"What is it, Kitten?

"That's an SR-77 Blackbird, a SHIELD plane! My Da's plane!"

He laughed nervously. "I guess now's as good a time as any to meet the folks!"

Doctor Tezla, the Teku and the Metal Maniacs watched uneasily as the looming jet landed almost gracefully, a cluster of bright green shamrocks decorating the side, and a stairway descended from underneath it. Sure enough, down the steps came a pair of redheads that who Mel practically tackled, all smiles.

"Mom! Da!"

The man grinned, laughing heartily, almost maniacally, but it seemed like something that couldn't be helped. "Melissa! Oh, me little Celtic Princess! Your hair still shines like an Irish sunset!"

"Oh, Da, do you ever say anything that makes sense?"

"Rarely."

"And what about me?"

Mel laughed again, hugging her mother. "Oh, you guys, I missed you so much. Oh! I smelled Uncle Nick around here earlier and now Mitch and another guy missing! Do you know anything about that?"

"Don't worry, I found him," Monkey said, the blonde in question bounding past him down the staircase. The Teku cheered, crowding around him to make sure he was okay. Nolo ruffled Vert's hair, causing him to squeal, and the Teku leader smiled despite his complete seriousness.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again, white boy. Now get over here; I saved you some pizza."

The Maniacs erupted in a macho burst of high fives, dog piling on the returning hero and generally being stupid. They even exploded into a silly little fight song they usually only uttered when drunk.

"We're the mighty Metal Maniacs you heard so mush about! All the other racers run and hide when we come out! We play with knives and .45s and broken bottles, too! We're the Metal Maniacs, now who the hell are you?!"

Mel grinned at the laughing boys, and turned to her parents.

"Okay, now that you guys are here, you have to meet everyone. That's Lani, she's Monkey's girlfriend—"

Monkey jumped, blushing, and Lani sheepishly stepped forward. His mother immediately ran over to the pair, stars in her emerald eyes, embracing them.

"Oh, Mitchell, ya didn't tell me you met someone! Hi, I'm Shannon!"

Dennis gave his son a sly grin. "Nice job, Mitchie. She is one right prim lookin' stargazer…"

"You guys, you're embarrassing me," he pled as Lani chatted with his mother. "And, besides, don't you wanna meet Mel's boyfriend?"

Dennis suddenly looked very angry, his eyes searching for a target, and Wylde wondered if he should perhaps hide. But it was too late; Mel grabbed his arm, kissing him on the cheek.

"Da, this is Mark. He's my boyfriend."

"No, he's not," Dennis replied through clenched teeth.

"Darling…"

"You're too young to be dating!"

"Sweetie?"

"And look at all those tattoos!"

"DENNIS LIAM MCCLURG!"

"Yes, love?"

"Maybe it's time to give her a little freedom with these things. Mark, was it?" Wylde nodded nervously; he had seen what Mel could do and heard about Shannon's powers. Dennis protested silently with disapproving looks as his wife gave the two her blessings.

"Th-thanks," he said. "And, may I say, it's easy to see where Mel gets her looks from."

Nolo and Vert sat on the hood of Nitrium, the blonde slowly pulling a slice of Hawaiian away from his mouth, cheese trailing behind it. Vert was wearing a t-shirt, fatigues and boots provided by his rescuers. Nolo chowed down right along with him, still wondering what had taken place, but not sure of how to ask.

"So," he said through a mouthful of Buffalo wings, "What all went on, man? Last time I saw you, you were wearing that racing suit the Accelerons gave you."

Vert got quiet for a moment, but he finally said, "The Silencerz captured me."

"What did they want?"

"They were gonna use the Acceleron's tech to achieve world domination."

"Oh man…Look, um, Tezla told us about your Dad being one of them, man, I don't know if you—"

"He was a spy, Nolo. He was feeding information to SHIELD to help stop them," Vert said, a little upset. "The guy running the show was going to execute both of us."

"Oh." It was quiet in that patch of desert, the breeze washing softly over them, washing away the sounds of celebration and argument from the Maniacs. "Your life sucks. Did anything good happen at all?"

He thought for a moment, then said "I got to shoot a bad guy in the leg; that was kinda cool…"

"You're crazy sometimes, you know that?"

"But that's why you wuv me, Nowito," he joked, poking his leader in the side, and Nolo shoved him. Vet flailed his arms and lost his balance, falling off the hood of the car and landing in the dust. Nolo pointed at him and they both laughed.

Dennis watched them all from the outside; the comrades reunited, brothers and sisters, all together. Mel had begged to stay with Monkey for the rest of the summer, and they were going to let her, despite the fact that this would keep her in close quarters with many much older boys. All told, he wasn't happy about his daughter dating, but at least the boy had a healthy fear. Fear was a useful survival tool. Still, he didn't have to like that it was happening.

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss," his wife whispered in his ear. "Remember when we met? You were six years older than me and a militant mad bomber, and look how you turned out. The kid may look tough, but he's a sweetheart."

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "But Shannon—"

She held up a hand, stopping him. "Not another word. And look on the bright side," she said; "We'll get some time to ourselves with the kids away…"

He snaked his arms around her waist, but was interrupted by a polite cough. Both McClurgs looked up, annoyed, to see a less than at ease Dr. Tezla.

"I know that things must have gotten rough back there," he said; he'd overheard everything Monkey had told the Maniacs, and had a point to get across. "I had nothing to do with it."

Dennis looked at him, still annoyed, and stood up straight and imposing. "I assure you that Colonel Fury knows you are not a party to blame. He also understands that the Silencerz are partially responsible fer the destruction of yer base, and says you will be fully reimbursed for what it cost to build."

"And the charges against you for leaving the Silencerz have been dropped," Shannon added in. It was treason to abandon a SHIELD regiment like he did, a crime that was punishable by firing squad. "It's only fair, since they turned out the way they did. But all of these generosities are conditional, you see."

He looked at them nervously, not wanting to think of weapons he might be obligated to design. "What conditions?"

"Ye gotta put Project Blueboo on ice," Dennis answered. "If only until the corrupt personnel are cleaned out. And when ye finally get to continue the project, ye have to do it under SHIELD authority. They'll have a final say on ev'rythin."

He relaxed; it wasn't as bad as he expected. "Thank you. Please, tell the Colonel I'm very sorry about what happened, and that he'll have my full cooperation when the time comes."

* * *

"So, what do we do now?" Karma asked from across the kitchen table. She anted up, a full house hiding behind her elegant fingers. "The Drones are gone, and we can't enter the Realms for a while…" 

Taro saw her five and raised her ten. "I'm sure we'll find something to keep us occupied," he said with a suggestive smile.

Mr. and Mrs. McClurg had left, and the Teku and Metal Maniacs headed to Dr. Tezla's Beverly Hills mansion. In the month and a half that they had all spent at the Acceledrome, most of the racers had been evicted from their apartments; paying their rent had completely slipped their mind while fighting the Drones and the Silencerz. Taro owned his own home but he still wanted to be with his friends, and Vert just didn't feel like he could face his father.

So, there they were, sitting in Tezla's kitchen, playing poker. Most of them, anyway; a few were in the living room watching the original Star Trek. Mel and Wylde were cuddled up on the sofa that moment, laughing at Spok's ears, and getting in a popcorn fight with Kurt and Shirako.

Vert showed his hand, a straight flush in spades winning out, and he raked in the little M&Ms and skittles they were playing with. Lani threw down her cards in exasperation and complained that the dealer was cheating; that was the fifth hand Vert had won in a row. It was trivial to the blonde. Really, he was just glad to be with his friends. No racing, no evil robots, no government conspiracies; it was finally over.

And then a thought occurred to him; sure, it was over, but for _how long?_

"I don't know about you guys," he said, tired, "But I could use a vacation."

"Sounds like a plan, man," Nolo agreed, and they laughed.

* * *

A/N: So, that's the premise of the next one. Confused? Good. I like to make you squirm. In any case, I guess I finally made it to the end; it wasn't Archie Meets the Punisher, but, hey, we had some laughs, right? I did the best I could, and I hope it was good enough. The sequel should be coming out in a little while, but I have to warn you on some possible delays: I graduate this Friday, June 21st; On July 24th or 25th I'll be embarking on a road trip to Albequerque New Mexico to visit relatives, they have computers, but it'll take 3 days to get there and I won't be back until August. Songfics- which are basically what I'll be using here- can take longer to write, so, please, be patient with me and remember all those times I updated twice in one week. Luv ya! 


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